In front of the Israeli Consulate in Levent, Istanbul, three attackers, Yunus Emre Sarban, Onur Çelik and Enes Çelik, opened fire with a long-barreled gun on the police officers in the area for an unspecified reason. As a result of the response of the police, Sarban was killed and the other two were neutralized. The two police officers injured in the incident were sent to the hospital and it was learned that their injuries were not life-threatening. The Ministry of Justice appointed 3 prosecutors, one of whom is the deputy chief prosecutor, regarding the incident. While it was determined that the attackers came from Izmit with a rental car, traces of DAESH were detected in the incident.

Gunshots were heard in Beşiktaş Levent around 12:00. Three attackers with backpacks and long barrels opened fire on the police. The police at the scene intervened against the attackers. While 2 police officers were injured, one of the terrorists who carried out the attack was killed and the other two were injured. The two police officers injured in the incident were taken to hospital. It was learned that the life of both officers was not in danger. During ongoing investigations, 5 more people with links to terrorists were detained.

DAESH CONNECTION REVEALED
Minister of Internal Affairs Mustafa Çiftçi made a statement about the incident on social media. It was learned that Yunus Emre Sarban (32), who was affiliated with DAESH and was killed at the scene, was involved in a murder with his father in 2018. It was determined that Yunus Emre was released while his father Ahmet Sarban was arrested regarding the incident. The other two attackers, brothers Onur Çelik and Enes Çelik, were neutralized with injuries. It was learned that Onur Çelik had a previous drug conviction. Intensive digital communication was detected between the 3 terrorists. No explosive ammunition was found in the examination of the attackers and their vehicles. In the hot conflict that started when the attackers opened fire, a police officer came face to face with the terrorist. The officer first took a service van as cover and pinned it down with fire from its right and left sides in order to prevent the target from escaping. He shot the terrorist, who was under pressure with a gun, in the foot by taking aim from under the minibus where he took cover.

After the terrorist was neutralized, the police officer rushed to the aid of his colleagues who continued to clash with the other attackers. The area where the incident took place was closed with barriers within the scope of intense security measures. While special operations police were waiting at the entrance and exit, many reinforcements were dispatched. Büyükdere Street, located near the area where the attack took place, was closed to traffic. While the police continued to control the area with the help of a drone, traffic in the area was opened under control.

INVESTIGATION HAS BEEN STARTED
Minister of Justice Akın Gürlek stated that an investigation was launched by the Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office regarding gunshot reports around the Israeli Consulate in Istanbul. Gürlek said, “An investigation was immediately launched by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office regarding the gunshot reports around the Israeli Consulate in the Beşiktaş district of Istanbul. A deputy chief prosecutor and two public prosecutors were assigned within the scope of the investigation; our public prosecutors immediately arrived at the scene and started investigations. In order to shed light on all aspects of the incident, work is continuing with the relevant law enforcement units under the coordination of our chief public prosecutor’s office, and the investigation is being carried out meticulously and multifacetedly.”

“THE ATTACK WAS FOR PROVOCATION PURPOSES”
Istanbul Governor Davut Gül, who investigated the scene, said: “It is an attack that smacks of provocation. There has been no activity in the consulate for 2.5 years. Those who carried out the attack were neutralized. Our injured police officers are not in life-threatening conditions.”

KURTULMUŞ: I CURSE IT
Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, Numan Kurtulmuş, condemned the attack. Kurtulmuş said, “I condemn the treacherous attack on our police officers on duty in Beşiktaş, Istanbul. I congratulate our heroic police officers who intervened in the incident immediately and effectively, and wish a speedy recovery to our injured. Any dirty plan aimed at our goal of a Terror-free Turkey and a Terror-free region will be eliminated in unity and solidarity with the determination of our state and the foresight of our beloved nation.”

TERRORIST SARBAN’S ASSET HAS BEEN FROZEN IN 2021
During the investigation, new information was obtained about the neutralized terrorist Yunus Emre Sarban. It was revealed that the assets of Sarban, who was determined to be registered in Adana, were frozen due to his past activities related to the financing of terrorism. It was learned that within the scope of the “Law on the Prevention of Financing of Terrorism”, a decision was made to freeze his assets in 2021. This decision was lifted in 2024.

THE CAR WAS RENTED FROM DILOVASI FROM TERRORISTS
It was determined that Onur Çelik (25), born in Van, came from Izmit with the group and rented the car from Kocaeli Dilovası. It was revealed that the terrorist rented the vehicle for 1700 TL per day and although he was supposed to deliver it on Friday, he continued to use it by extending the contract until April 7.

Yesterday’s session of the giant case regarding corruption allegations in Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality started with a harsh debate between Ekrem İmamoğlu on the defendant’s stand and the prosecution. Speaking in the first minutes of the hearing, the Public Prosecutor reminded İmamoğlu’s scandalous words in the previous day’s hearing, saying “The real criminal organization is the prosecution” and warned.
Following the prosecutor’s words, İmamoğlu said, “Don’t be a bully.” The prosecutor said, “We are not being a bully.” Emphasizing that the words targeting the judicial authority are unacceptable, the Prosecutor said to İmamoğlu, “Yesterday, you made a statement and called it a criminal organization. Be careful about your attitude towards the prosecution. We never accept such statements. Immediately give up these statements that try to put pressure on the prosecutor’s office; what you are doing is not right. As the prosecutor’s office, we warn you: If you exceed your limits, we will put you in your place! Be careful with your statements.”
Ekrem İmamoğlu, who was observed to be very angry when the prosecutor said “We will put you in your place”, reacted to the prosecutor by raising his voice from where he was sitting. The prosecutor warned İmamoğlu, saying, “Don’t talk to me as ‘you’.”

A large-scale operation was organized in CHP’s Üsküdar Municipality on the grounds that “there were irregularities in the building and settlement license procedures”. Within the scope of the investigation carried out under the coordination of the Special Investigation Bureau of the Istanbul Anatolian Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, 30 addresses in Istanbul and Yalova were raided simultaneously. 20 suspects were detained. Among the suspects is Kent A.Ş. It was learned that General Manager Nazım Akkoyunlu and Deputy Mayor Filiz Deveci were also present. It was learned that Deveci served as Deputy Director in the City Planning Directorate of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality between 2019 and 2024, and after the victory of Üsküdar, he was made Deputy Director of Üsküdar by İmamoğlu.

THEY USED IT AS A FRONT

One of the suspects, Kent A.Ş. It was learned that General Manager Nazım Akkoyunlu used the title of “vice president” in the room allocated to him between the Directorate of Planning and Urbanization and the Directorate of Construction Control, which are the units where the ‘building permit and settlement’ license was given, and that he was introduced as such in official programs. It was stated that Kent A.Ş. was used as a front during the building permit process and that unfair profits were obtained from contractors in return for services that were not actually provided.

4.5 MILLION LIRAS WAS IN MY SUITCASE

Burçin Çevik, who was detained and working at the Istanbul Planning Agency (İPA), was one of the people who followed up on business, even though he did not work at Üsküdar Municipality, and approximately 4.5 million liras were seized in suitcases during the searches at his home. It was claimed that the money in question was the fee for the cafe that Çevik’s fiancée had transferred in Beyoğlu the day before.

The investigation also revealed the mechanism the suspects set up to obtain a building permit. In this system; “Blue” means that an agreement has been reached, “Red” means that an agreement has not been reached, “Green” means that no negotiations have been held yet, and “Orange” means that there has been a meeting but the process has not been made official.

HERE ARE 20 SUSPECTS
The names detained in the operation are as follows: Üsküdar Deputy Mayor Filiz Deveci, Kent A.Ş. General Manager Nazım Akkoyunlu, Kent A.Ş. Architect Barkın Ege Tekkökoğlu, Özgür Ceylan, Building Control Field Chief Hakan Yavuz, work follower Ahmet İşman, Veysel Köse, Ceyhan Han, Yasin Karabaş and Burçin Çevik working at Istanbul Planning Agency (İPA), contractor Engin Aras, Sinan Sarıoğlu, Kadir Karadağ, Ufuk Gündüz, Eyüp Meriç, Murat Armağan, Hakan Mansız, Erdem Alkan, Yılmaz Kozan and Mehmet Atilla Güneri.

Minister of Health Kemal Memişoğlu attended the ‘First Step Midwife and Pregnant School Family Meeting’ held at the Selçuklu Congress Center in Konya. Addressing the guests here, Minister Memişoğlu made important statements. Minister Memişoğlu stated that they allocated a midwife for 3 months to the mother who was experiencing her first pregnancy and said:

By updating their professional legislation, we have made our midwives much more effective both in the field and in the delivery room. Especially with our ‘A Midwife for Every Pregnant’ application, the midwife will be with all our expectant mothers who are experiencing their first pregnancy, wherever they are. I would especially like to point this out again. We allocate a midwife to expectant mothers who are experiencing their first pregnancy in the last 3 months, whether they are in the private sector, the public sector, during a private examination or at a university.

This midwife will spend 3 months with the mother. He will be both a friend and an advisor to our pregnant woman in the last 3 months. We want an experienced midwife to be with you at all times during your first pregnancy, to reassure and guide you.

C-ESAREA HAS DECREASED BY 30 PERCENT

Minister Memişoğlu stated that they opened 1,774 pregnancy schools across the country and said:

In our 1,774 pregnant schools serving across the country, we supported approximately 1 million expectant mothers and their families in their most special times in the last year alone. Of course, we do not forget the prospective fathers in these trainings. It is also extremely valuable for them to participate in training. Because birth is not only the journey of the mother, but also the journey of being a family.

It is one of the positive examples of our pregnancy training in the field. Today, the caesarean section rate among expectant mothers who are included in the training processes we carry out in Konya has decreased to 30 percent. This rate is a table that should be an example for the whole of Türkiye.

ERDOĞAN:

I condemn the treacherous attack that was foiled by the intervention of our security forces. We will not allow the climate of trust to be damaged by low and timed provocations.

With this new infrastructure established for our critical air defense systems, strategic missile projects and smart munitions, the deterrence of our heroic army will be at the highest level.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan attended the “ROKETSAN Production Facilities Opening, Mass Production Deliveries and Groundbreaking Ceremony” held in Ankara Lalahan. Erdoğan briefly said the following in his speech at the ceremony:

GREAT DAY IN THE DEFENSE INDUSTRY
President Erdoğan opened Kırıkkale Fuel Production Facilities, Lalahan Warhead Facility, Advanced Technologies R&D and Engineering Center. At the ceremony, TAYFUN, SİPER, ATMACA, HİSAR-A, HİSAR-O and SUNGUR systems and ÇAKIR, SOM, the sharp claws of SİHAs, MAM-T and MAM-L were delivered to the TAF. The foundations of Lalahan Missile Integration Facilities were also laid.

❱ FOUNDER ACTOR OF THE NEW ORDER: Where air, land and sea domination are intertwined; We are in an age where unmanned technologies and positioning in cyberspace change all balances. We are one of the founding actors of this new order in which the rules and processes are reshaped. We are not worried about keeping up with this new system in which ‘trench warfare has been replaced by cyber warfare’; Because we, as a country, now determine the direction and course both in the field and in technology. With the products, systems, software and platforms we have developed in the last 23 years, our strong human resources and corporate capacity, we have become one of the countries that ‘set the norm’ in this field. Today, Türkiye is a country that protects its own skies, equips its own platforms and develops its own ammunition. We come to the aid of our friends and allies if they request it; We contribute to global peace and security at the highest level.

❱ WE WILL BE IN THE TOP 10: We reduced our foreign dependency rate in defense from 80 percent to 20 percent. Our sectoral turnover exceeded 20 billion dollars, and our R&D expenditures reached 3.5 billion dollars. While our number of active projects exceeded 1400, our project portfolio exceeded 100 billion dollars. We increased our defense exports, which were only 248 million dollars in 2002, to over 10 billion dollars last year. In the first quarter of 2026, our defense and aerospace exports reached 1 billion 910 million dollars, an increase of 12.1 percent compared to the same period last year. We will reach the 11 billion dollar export volume that we have set as our 2028 target, and we will be among the top 10 in the world in defense exports. After the wars around us are over, we will achieve a boom in every field, especially in the defense industry. Despite the efforts to hinder Türkiye, we will achieve this ‘great breakthrough’ together.

❱ AN IMPORTANT THRESHOLD: Today, we are leaving behind another very important threshold on the path to a fully independent Türkiye in defense. With these investments, which will make our defense industry a stronger development axis and increase the rate of qualified employment, we will strengthen our Layered Air Defense System, increase our strategic power, and strengthen our cruise and ballistic missile capabilities. We will make significant contributions to our smart ammunition family, mass production speed and R&D capacity.

❱ Striking POWER OF THE STEEL DOME: Our air defense architecture will be further strengthened as these systems, which constitute the striking power of the Steel Dome, reach a higher production rate. With this new infrastructure established for our critical air defense systems, strategic missile projects and smart ammunition capabilities, we will increase the deterrence of our heroic army to much higher levels.

❱ ‘THE FISH ARE AFRAID’ THEY SAID: Erdoğan said, “While we were conducting missile tests in Sinop, the leader of the main opposition party said, ‘Fish are frightened by the sound of missiles and leave their nests.’ His predecessor, whom this person sent off with crocodile tears, said, ‘What is the need for these? Who will attack us?’ he said. If we had listened to these, we would not be even close to where we are today in the defense industry.

3 BILLION DOLLAR INVESTMENT
Erdoğan said, “The main goal of the coming period in the defense industry is to produce high-tech products faster, more effectively and in higher quantities. With these facilities and systems, whose completed investment cost is 1 billion dollars and the total investment scale reaches 3 billion dollars, we will reach the range faster and accelerate the determined steps we have taken.”

WE TRUST THE POWER OF OUR WRIST
President Erdoğan said, “We are rightfully proud of being at a prominent level in the defense industry. Today, we feel safe while missiles and drones are flying around us. Today, if anything happens to us, we do not rely on anyone else, but first of all, the strength of our own hands. Not only we, but also our competitors and adversaries know these very well. We have never easily reached the proud levels in the defense industry, the importance of which is better understood these days; we were tested, stalled, left in the middle, blocked, threatened. “We were subjected to restrictions that we did not deserve, but we did not submit to any of them,” he said.

LOW AND TIMED PROVOCATION
Referring to the terrorist attack that took place yesterday at noon in Istanbul Levent, President Erdoğan said, “I want it to be known that we condemn the treacherous attack, which was foiled by the successful intervention of our heroic security forces. In the heinous terrorist attack, 3 terrorists were neutralized, one dead and two injured. Our two heroic police officers were slightly injured during the intervention. Both our Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office and our police and intelligence units quickly launched the necessary investigations regarding the attack. May God grant a speedy recovery to our injured police officers.” “I wish the Istanbul Police and the people of Istanbul to get well soon. We will continue our fight against all forms of terrorism with determination, and we will not allow Türkiye’s climate of trust to be damaged by vile and timely provocations like today.”

MEETS WITH SPANISH PRIME MINISTER SANCHEZ
PRESIDENT Erdoğan had a telephone conversation with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. Leaders discussed bilateral relations, regional and global issues. President Erdoğan stated that the solidarity shown by Türkiye and Spain in every field, especially in defense, was welcomed by our people and that they aim to take our relations even further.

Within the scope of the project, the launch of the “My City, My School” project and the protocol signing ceremony were held at Gaziantep Kamil Ocak Indoor Sports Hall. The new structure, which transforms the entire city into a learning area, has been officially put into practice. The choice of the city as a pilot province was influenced by the fact that Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality put forward a structure compatible with the approach of the Ministry of National Education towards education.

Minister of National Education Prof. Dr. Yusuf Tekin explained the details of the project in his speech at the launch and protocol signing ceremony of the “My City, My School” project. Tekin stated that they are acting with the aim of developing a local and original model in education and said, “We trust the teachers, students and academic knowledge in Türkiye. The learning process starts from the environment in which the student lives. When our children start their education life, they must first get to know the house, family, neighborhood and district they live in.” Minister Tekin said, “We want our children to start learning by getting to know the mosques, museums and historical places where they are. Many points in Türkiye have been transferred to the digital environment. We have made it accessible online.”

Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Fatma Şahin stated that the Turkey Century Education Model has started a new journey in education and said, “With the Turkey Century Education Model, we have been presented with an approach that teaches us the journey of human development. In this journey, we act with the understanding of science, wisdom, sound mind, good heart and good taste. Education is not limited to the school only. All the opportunities of the city need to be included in the education process. At this point, Gaziantep has a strong infrastructure.” “We mobilize all the opportunities of our city in the fields of art, science, culture, sports, nature and environment for the development of our children,” he said. Following the speeches, the protocol for the My City, My School Project was signed by Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Fatma Şahin, General Director of Secondary Education Halil İbrahim Topçu and General Director of Basic Education Ebubekir Sıddık Savaşçı on behalf of the Ministry of National Education.