Top Turkish and US diplomats Hakan Fidan and Antony Blinken have discussed by telephone the latest developments in the Palestinian enclave of Gaza amid fears of a new escalation between Israel and Iran, the Hürriyet Daily News reported.
According to Turkish diplomatic sources, the telephone conversation between Turkish Foreign Minister Fidan and US Secretary of State Blinken took place at the latter’s initiative.
The two ministers discussed the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza and other regional security issues, the sources said, without giving further details.
The conversation took place at a time when Iran has vowed retaliation for an Israeli attack on its embassy in Damascus that killed senior Iranian security officials and other authorities. In a written statement Turkey had condemned the Israeli attack on the Iranian embassy, calling it a violation of international law and a provocation.
Ankara has called on all relevant actors to prevent the conflict between Israel and Hamas from spreading to the region and beyond.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned Israel again on April 10 that it “will be punished” for the airstrike in Damascus.
“The evil regime made a mistake in this regard. It must be punished and will be punished,” Khamenei said in a televised speech after Eid al-Fitr prayers in Tehran.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz immediately countered with a statement in Farsi on the social media site X.
“If Iran attacks from its territory, Israel will respond and attack Iran,” he said.