Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu raised Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's criticisms of Israel in a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump. According to a statement from Netanyahu's office, the prime minister stressed the gravity of the "hostile" statements made by Erdoğan and his allies against Israel's existence.
In the call held Thursday evening, the two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to continue cooperation between their countries. The Israeli statement noted that Netanyahu also emphasized the necessity of establishing security zones along Israel's borders.
Recently, President Erdoğan has been leveling harsh criticisms against Israel's Middle East policies. Last Tuesday, he dismissed as "disinformation" the claim that the sale of Israel's F-35 aircraft to Turkey would disrupt the regional balance.
U.S. military activity in the Gulf and the Iran threat
Netanyahu's office announced that President Trump briefed the Israeli prime minister on the U.S. military movements in the Gulf. According to a report by the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation citing a source, Israel is waiting for a "green light" from the U.S. president to participate in attacks on Iran.
The U.S. has been carrying out intermittent attacks on Iran over the past two days. The Washington administration justifies these strikes as retaliation for Tehran targeting critical energy vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
That same day, Netanyahu said at an airbase near Beersheba that the war against Iran is "not over yet" and new challenges have emerged. He said Israel is preparing for all scenarios.
Meanwhile, Iran announced on Thursday that it struck U.S. military facilities in Kuwait and Bahrain for the second consecutive day. The fate of negotiations between the U.S. and Iran remains uncertain.
