ANKARA, July 17 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Thursday that recent Israeli attacks on Syria are "unacceptable."
According to a statement by the Turkish Presidency, Erdogan made the remarks in a phone call with Syrian interim leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, during which the two sides discussed the latest developments in Syria following the Israeli attacks.
"Israel's aggression poses a threat to the entire region," Erdogan told al-Sharaa.
Erdogan expressed Türkiye's support for the ceasefire recently reached in the southern Syrian province of Sweida, saying Ankara will continue to stand by the Syrian people as it has in the past.
For his part, al-Sharaa thanked Erdogan for Türkiye's continued support in preserving Syria's political unity, territorial integrity, and sovereignty.
An escalation in Sweida began Sunday after armed members of a Bedouin tribe in the countryside of Sweida, a predominantly Druze province, reportedly assaulted and robbed a young Druze man near the town of al-Masmiyah, along the Damascus-Sweida highway. The brutal attack sparked retaliatory kidnappings, spiraling into full-scale clashes between local Druze fighters, government troops, and Bedouin militias.
On Monday and Wednesday, Israel launched waves of strikes on Damascus and Sweida, claiming to prevent the Druze minority from being harmed. The attacks have met with strong condemnation from the international community.
Hours after the Israeli airstrikes on Wednesday, a fragile ceasefire between Syria's interim government and Druze spiritual leaders entered into effect.
Türkiye, a key supporter of the Syrian interim government, has established a significant military footprint across northern Syria since 2016 through cross-border operations aimed at pushing back the People's Protection Units, a Syrian Kurdish military force. ■
