Turkey foils attacks on Israel citizens; arrests 5 Iranians
Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid on Thursday thanked Turkish authorities for their cooperation in allegedly foiling attacks against Israeli citizens in Turkey, and warned Israel would not “sit idly by’ in the face of threats to its citizens from Iran.
Lapid made the comments after a meeting with his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu, as the two countries press ahead with efforts to repair ties that have been strained over Turkey’s strong support for the Palestinians.
Earlier this month, Israel issued a warning for its citizens to avoid travel to Turkey and urging Israelis in Turkey to leave immediately. The warning said Israeli citizens could be targets of Iranian attacks.
Turkish media reports said authorities had detained five Iranians suspected of planning attacks on Israelis in Istanbul.
“In recent weeks, the lives of Israeli citizens have been saved thanks to security and diplomatic cooperation between Israel and (Turkey),” Lapid said. “We are full of appreciation for the Turkish government for this professional and coordinated activity.”
Lapid continued: “For its part, Israel won’t sit idly by when there are attempts to harm its citizens in Israel and around the world. Our immediate goal is to bring about calm that will enable us to change the travel warning to (Turkey).” The travel warning angered Turkey, whose economy depends on tourism to a large extent. Ankara responded by issuing a statement that said Turkey was a safe country.
Standing next to Lapid, Cavusoglu said Turkey “cannot permit such incidents.”