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A coalition of 12 countries, including Türkiye, strongly condemned Israeli airstrikes on Friday that targeted a military airbase in northwestern Syria, saying the attack constitutes a dangerous escalation and a clear violation of international law.
Foreign ministers from Türkiye, Algeria, Indonesia, Jordan, Palestine, Qatar, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mauritania, Pakistan, Somalia, and Saudi Arabia issued a joint statement on the strikes, which hit the Abu Zuhur Military Air Base.
The attack on Tuesday, which struck the disused airbase near Aleppo with eight separate hits damaging its runway and storage facilities, was justified by Israel as a preemptive move to prevent what it claimed was a Turkish military deployment at the site, which was denied by Türkiye.
"The foreign ministers express their deep concern over the continued targeting and destruction of Syrian territory and infrastructure," the statement read.
The joint statement warned that such actions risk eroding current efforts to restore security and rebuild national institutions in Syria, a country battered by over a decade of conflict.
It also stressed that Israel's continued violations of Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity threaten to further inflame tensions and undermine regional peace.
The ministers took their appeal directly to the broader international community. They called for "concrete steps" under international law and the UN Charter to put an end to the violations.
The statement also urged full compliance with the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement and demanded the withdrawal of Israeli forces from occupied areas.
"Respect for Syria's sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and political unity is required, and any attempt to undermine this is rejected," the ministers added.
In a subsequent move, Türkiye and seven other countries, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, condemned Israel's continued settlement policies in the occupied Palestinian territories and categorically rejected the E1 settlement plan east of occupied East Jerusalem.
The foreign ministers "unequivocally" condemned Israel's "illegal settlement policies" and warned that the E1 plan, which involves building thousands of settlement homes on strategic land east of Jerusalem, constitutes a "dangerous escalation" that advances settlement expansion and annexation while undermining the geographical contiguity of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, particularly between the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
The ministers said the plan threatens the viability of an independent and contiguous Palestinian state based on the 1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital, and directly challenges international peace efforts, including U.S. President Donald Trump's Comprehensive Plan.
They reaffirmed that the two-state solution remains "the only viable path" toward a just and lasting peace and called for accountability measures, including sanctions against individuals and entities responsible for illegal settlement activities, as well as an end to support or financing that contributes to settlement expansion.
They urged the UN Security Council and international actors to take "urgent and effective measures" to halt illegal settlement expansion and protect Palestinians' rights.
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded later on Friday with a sharp counterattack, directly targeting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
It further claimed that Ankara is now trying to extend its "aggression" against Israel into Syria, and said, "Israel will not tolerate it."
In response to Türkiye's move to formally request an Interpol Red Notice for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the statement said that Ankara's efforts to intimidate Israeli leaders and soldiers are "pathetic" and "will go nowhere."
The request follows an arrest warrant issued on July 14, 2026, by an Istanbul court on a charge of "genocide." It is part of an ongoing prosecution over an attack on activists aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla, which was carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza when it was intercepted by Israeli forces in May 2026.
The case, being heard before Istanbul's 11th High Criminal Court, involves 35 defendants.
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