Erdoğan engages in telephone diplomacy with regional leaders to discuss Israel-Iran conflict

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Saturday warned against a "devastating war" between Israel and Iran that could trigger a refugee crisis, in a series of calls to regional leaders, his office said.

Erdoğan told his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian that Israel was seeking "to drag the whole region into the fire", according to a statement from the Turkish presidency.

His conversations came as Israel and Iran escalated their deadly barrages of missiles and drones, raising fears of an intense war that could affect multiple countries around the Middle East.

To Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Erdoğan said: "Our region cannot tolerate another crisis, and a devastating war could create waves of irregular migration towards all the countries in the region."

Türkiye already hosts millions of Syrians, who fled their civil war, as well as Iranians seeking lives away from their country's authoritarian rulers. The influx has created political tensions in Turkey.

Erdoğan told Saudi Arabia's prince that Israel needed "to be stopped", calling it "the main threat to stability and security in the region", the statement from his presidency said.

The issue of Iran's nuclear programme "can only be resolved through negotiations", he added.

"The fact that the international community has closed its eyes to the occupation and genocide in Palestine has led Israel to this level of flouting the law and its aggression," Erdoğan was quoted as saying.

Erdoğan also spoke with Jordan's King Abdullah II and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that he also spoke with Erdoğan, and the two agreed that "Israel's unprovoked aggression against Iran" was "a blatant violation of international law and a threat to regional peace".

Erdoğan and his Syrian counterpart Ahmad al-Sharaa on Saturday discussed the conflict between Israel and Iran, regional and global issues over the phone, Türkiye's Communications Directorate said.

Erdoğan said the cycle of violence caused by Israel threatens the region, emphasizing the importance of Syria staying out of the conflict.

The Turkish president stressed the need for heightened vigilance against terrorist groups and radical elements in the current climate of Israeli aggression.

Israel on Friday launched an unprecedented attack on Iran, killing top army commanders, nuclear scientists and other senior officials, in a missile barrage that Tehran said claimed 78 lives.

In response, Iran launched drones and missiles at Israel, killing three people and wounding more than 70 others.