Türkiye’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) has denounced the recent Israeli military strike on the Islamic Republic of Iran as a “barbaric” and “unlawful” act aimed at destabilizing the region and undermining diplomatic efforts.

AK Party Deputy Chairman and Spokesman Ömer Çelik issued a statement on X, declaring the attack a “savage and illegitimate aggression,” adding it to the long list of Israeli war crimes targeting Muslim nations.

“This brutal and unlawful attack by Israel is part of a pattern of barbaric aggression. It has no legitimacy, and it threatens the peace of the entire region,” Çelik stated, drawing attention to the fact that the attack occurred at a critical juncture when diplomatic talks between Iran and the United States were ongoing. “Israel’s strike during ongoing negotiations has once again made clear its enmity toward all peaceful and diplomatic efforts.”

Çelik pointed out that the Israeli regime’s latest offensive—code-named “Operation Rising Lion”—is a deliberate provocation designed to deflect global attention from its genocidal campaign in Gaza. “As international pressure has mounted over Israel’s crimes in Gaza, the Zionist administration has resorted to a new front in its aggression to distract the world from its systematic slaughter of Palestinian civilians,” he noted.

Highlighting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s repeated warnings, Çelik urged the international community to no longer remain indifferent to the war crimes of the Netanyahu government. “Israel’s genocidal policies not only threaten the Muslim Ummah but also endanger global peace and security,” he said. “The world must act in unison and take decisive, concrete steps to halt the Zionist regime’s aggression.”

The criminal Israeli assault resulted in the martyrdom of several prominent Iranian figures, including Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Commander General Hossein Salami, Armed Forces Chief General Mohammad Bagheri, and General Gholam-Ali Rashid. Iranian media also confirmed the targeted assassination of nuclear scientists Dr. Mohammad Tehranchi and Dr. Fereydoon Abbasi. At least 50 civilians, including 35 women and children, were injured and transferred to Chamran Hospital in Tehran.

Observers in the region see Türkiye’s bold stance as part of a growing wave of solidarity among Muslim nations against Israeli aggression. Amid rising outrage over the Zionist regime’s unchecked brutality in both Palestine and now Iran, calls for unity among the Islamic world are intensifying.

As the martyrs are honored in Iran and millions grieve their loss, Türkiye’s principled and outspoken condemnation sends a clear message: the era of silence in the face of Zionist aggression is over. The Islamic world stands united in defending the dignity, sovereignty, and resistance of the oppressed. (ILKHA)