ANKARA: Iran communicated its planned operation against Israel to Turkey in advance, according to a Turkish diplomatic source cited by news agency on Sunday. The source revealed that Washington had used Ankara to convey to Tehran the necessity of keeping any action “within certain limits.”
Turkey, which has criticized Israel for its actions in Gaza, emphasized on Sunday that it does not desire further escalation in the region.
The Turkish Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan, engaged in discussions with both the U.S. and Iranian counterparts over the past week regarding the planned Iranian operation, with Ankara being informed of possible developments.
Earlier this week, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken communicated with Fidan to stress that escalation in the Middle East was not in anyone’s interest.
The Turkish diplomatic source shared that Iran assured them in advance about its planned reaction, clarifying that it would be in response to Israel’s attack on its embassy in Damascus and would not exceed this scope.
Iran had previously vowed retaliation for what it deemed an Israeli strike on its Damascus consulate on April 1, resulting in the deaths of seven officers from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Turkey’s foreign ministry confirmed these discussions, urging restraint and cautioning against the risk of a regional war if tensions were to escalate further. Ankara reiterated its commitment to preventing additional conflict and escalation in the region.
A Turkish security source indicated that CIA chief William Burns had reached out to Ibrahim Kalin, head of Turkey’s MIT intelligence agency, over the Eid al-Fitr holidays, requesting Turkey’s assistance as a “mediator” in the Israel-Iran tensions. The discussions also encompassed efforts for a ceasefire in Gaza, although details were not disclosed.
