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Türkiye's ruling Justice and Development (AK Party) Deputy Chairman and Spokesperson Omer Celik stated on Saturday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government must be removed from power.
He called it a "genocide network" that threatens both regional peace and human lives, speaking at the International Strategic Communication Summit (Stratcom Summit) 2026, organized by the Directorate of Communications in Istanbul.
Celik was unequivocal in his assessment of the root cause of regional instability.
"Today, Netanyahu's government must change. What threatens both regional peace and people's lives today is the genocide network and Netanyahu at the head of the genocide network," he said.
He argued that those who genuinely want Israel to live in security must draw the opposite conclusion from the one they typically reach, saying, "Some say, 'Let Israel live in security.' The way for those who say this to back it up is for the Netanyahu government to leave office. The thing that threatens both regional peace and people's lives today is the genocide network and Netanyahu at its head."
He noted that Tel Aviv's demand for regime change in neighboring countries is itself illegal under international law.
"If you don't like a country's regime and start bombing it, the whole world will descend into chaos. If anyone truly takes Israel's security seriously, the way to do that is not to stop and say 'Israel has a right of defense' and thereby encourage the Netanyahu government to commit more massacres."
Türkiye's ruling AK Party spokesperson described U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran as the origin of all the disasters and crimes against humanity in the region.
He noted that the children are being killed in their schools and hospitals are being bombed in Iran, and that the claim "Iran is not coming to an agreement" has no basis, just as similar claims during the Gulf War proved unfounded.
"Everyone participating in negotiations, from Oman to Geneva and beyond, says negotiations are progressing step by step. From the U.S. side, these reports are not denied. There are even reports that security apparatus officials presented reports saying Iran does not pose a threat and that such a war would be wrong," he stated.
"Whatever the case, whatever the reports say to the contrary, this attack is an inhuman attack, an illegitimate attack, an unjust, internationally unlawful attack," Celik stated.
Celik noted that the war is being fought not only militarily but also through information and narrative. He added that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu himself had spoken of preparing new social media content, including on TikTok, "while massacres were continuing."
"When you look at the genocide in Gaza and the unlawful and illegitimate attack by America and Israel on Iran, you see that a great propaganda machine is using entirely different methods to mislead and obscure humanity," Celik said.
He added that journalists in the region are being physically targeted and that those trying to report the truth are having their work manipulated and suppressed.
Three journalists were killed on Saturday when an Israeli airstrike targeted a vehicle they were traveling in near the city of Jezzine in southern Lebanon.
The U.S. and Israel have maintained airstrikes on Iran since Feb. 28, killing so far over 2,076 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Iran’s Health Ministry has shared these figures:
Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, along with Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries hosting U.S. military assets, causing casualties and damage to infrastructure while disrupting global markets and aviation.
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