Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Chair Devlet Bahçeli on Friday strongly condemned Israel’s strike on Syria’s Abu al-Duhur military air base, calling it an “unacceptable attack” on international law, peace and regional stability, and warned Israel against provocations targeting Türkiye.

In a written statement, Bahçeli said the attack on the air base in the Idlib countryside, which targeted Syrian infrastructure and capabilities, constituted another violation of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

“Whether it is a manifestation of historical expansionism and disregard for the law or an attempt aimed at the approaching elections, what has been done is an unacceptable attack on law, peace and regional stability,” he said.

Bahçeli urged Israel to “refrain” from “provoking Türkiye,” testing Ankara’s patience or taking steps that could directly or indirectly interfere with Türkiye’s national security interests.

“Türkiye is not a country seeking conflict,” he remarked. “However, it is not a country that will ignore threats directed against it, stand by while its sovereign rights are violated or leave its national security at the mercy of others.”

The MHP leader said Ankara was closely monitoring Israeli actions in Syria that intersect with Türkiye’s security interests, as well as efforts to exclude Türkiye from the Eastern Mediterranean and policies he said encouraged regional fragmentation.

He stressed that Türkiye did not seek war with Israel or any other country, but warned that its preference for diplomacy and restraint should not be interpreted as weakness or a lack of deterrence.

Bahçeli also rejected any attempt to establish permanent areas of occupation in Syria, alter de facto borders, expand buffer zones or exploit ethnic and sectarian groups for geopolitical purposes.

Such steps would be “unacceptable for Türkiye,” he said.

Proposal for regional security

Bahçeli outlined a seven-point proposal aimed at establishing a broader regional security architecture and achieving lasting peace.

He called for expanding security cooperation under the Mecca Agreement signed by Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan and proposed developing it into what he described as an “Islamic Peace Force” encompassing countries and regions facing Israeli attacks.

Bahçeli also proposed establishing a temporary Middle East Peace Coalition or Council consisting of the United States, Russia, China and the European Union to help restore regional stability.

Under another proposal, he called for a Middle East Security and Peace Conference to be convened at Türkiye’s initiative under United Nations auspices. The conference, he said, should develop a road map for a permanent two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and wider regional stability.

Bahçeli also proposed an “Ankara Declaration” setting out principles guiding Türkiye’s approach to regional security and making clear that Ankara would respond to any potential Israeli attack.

His proposals further included establishing a neutral International Cease-Fire Monitoring Mission under the U.N. to document violations, oversee the security of humanitarian corridors and monitor the protection of civilians.

He also called for an International Mediation Contact Group to institutionalize multilateral diplomatic efforts and ensure continuity in negotiations.

His final proposal envisaged “gradual diplomatic pressure and incentive mechanism” combining political and economic pressure with military deterrence, while offering diplomatic and economic incentives if Israel complied with international law, ended settlement expansion and returned to negotiations.

Bahçeli reiterated his support for an independent, sovereign Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, saying such a state remained essential for lasting peace.

“Türkiye is not an actor that will go from door to door in the face of attacks on its sovereign rights,” Bahçeli said, warning that Israel should take Ankara’s warnings seriously.

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Police on Monday detained two fugitives wanted as part of an investigation into the alleged Alihan Kuriş criminal organization as they were preparing to flee the country, authorities said, as a separate branch of the widening probe revisited the suspicious 2016 death of former religious community leader Ahmet Arif Denizolgun.

Hilmi Tuna Kuriş and Erhan Yılmaz, who were wanted by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, were located in the Bozburun area of the southwestern resort town of Marmaris, according to information obtained from security sources.

Police determined that the two suspects were allegedly planning to leave Türkiye by sea. Acting on intelligence provided by Istanbul police, officers in Muğla raided the address and detained the suspects on accusations of membership in a criminal organization.

Police seized 58,000 euros (nearly $68,000) during a search of their vehicle.

Authorities had previously seized 206 kilograms of gold and a large amount of foreign currency during a search of a warehouse at a business center housing a company where Hilmi Tuna Kuriş had served for years as a board member.

The Ankara prosecutors’ investigation led to simultaneous operations across 17 provinces on Aug. 13. Thirty of 49 suspects were detained, including alleged organization leader Alihan Kuriş, who was later arrested along with several other suspects.

The suspects face accusations including establishing and leading a criminal organization, membership in a criminal organization, laundering proceeds of crime, fraud against public institutions and violations of Türkiye’s tax laws.

Alihan Kuriş, the de facto leader of a group known publicly as “Süleymancılar,” was arrested last week along with other suspects.

The group originated as a religious movement named after 20th-century Islamic scholar Süleyman Hilmi Tunahan, Kuriş’ great-grandfather.

Initially operating through informal religious instruction in homes and mosques, the group later expanded across Türkiye through Quran courses and student dormitories, largely financed by membership contributions and donations. Over time, its activities expanded into commercial sectors including food, health care, tourism, textiles, construction and real estate.

2016 death reexamined

Meanwhile, prosecutors have reopened an investigation into the 2016 death of Ahmet Arif Denizolgun, a former leader of the Süleymancılar religious community and former Transport Minister, as part of the broader investigation surrounding Kuriş.

The Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office said it had ordered Denizolgun’s body exhumed to allow forensic experts to reassess his cause of death following allegations questioning both his death and the original autopsy.

The case was transferred from prosecutors in Beykoz to Bakırköy as part of the investigation.

Investigators are also examining witness testimony concerning the circumstances surrounding Denizolgun’s death and records from the original forensic examination.

Prosecutors sought information from the Forensic Medicine Institute (ATK) this year about photographs and video recordings from the 2016 autopsy. The institute ultimately informed prosecutors in July that no video recording of Denizolgun’s autopsy existed, according to correspondence cited in the investigation.

The probe is also examining claims concerning the original autopsy and toxicology findings. Investigators are expected to use the new forensic examination following the exhumation to determine whether previously identified substances have any relevance to Denizolgun’s cause of death.

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Türkiye’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) on Friday strongly condemned Israel’s plans to advance new settlement construction in the occupied West Bank, warning that the move would further undermine prospects for a two-state solution.

AK Party spokesperson Ömer Çelik said Israel’s planned tenders for new housing units were part of what he described as an effort to “Gazify” the West Bank and dispossess Palestinians.

“We strongly condemn Israel’s plan to launch tenders for new occupier-settler housing construction in another part of the occupied West Bank,” Çelik said in a statement on social media.

He said Israel’s E1 settlement plan represented a “new and dangerous phase,” arguing that its implementation would effectively divide the West Bank and isolate East Jerusalem.

“This aggression aims to effectively split the West Bank in two and isolate East Jerusalem. It also seeks to destroy the prospect of a two-state solution,” Çelik noted.

Çelik also criticized the use of the terms “settlement” and “settler,” describing Israeli settlement activity as occupation and calling on the international community to take coordinated action.

He said that for years President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had drawn attention to Israel’s territorial policies at the United Nations and other international platforms.

Çelik urged countries to take “joint and concrete steps” against Israel’s actions.

Seven Western countries on Thursday also condemned Israel’s decision to issue construction tenders for 1,234 new housing units under the controversial E1 settlement project.

“The Israeli government’s decision to publish construction tenders for the E1 settlement project is unacceptable,” the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, the Netherlands and Norway said in a joint statement.

The statement said the international community has long opposed settlement expansion in the area and has repeatedly raised serious concerns with Israel both privately and publicly.

“The E1 settlement would undermine the viability of a two-state solution by dividing the West Bank and damaging the territorial contiguity of Palestinian territory,” it said.

The E1 project, located in the occupied West Bank east of Jerusalem, has long drawn international criticism over concerns that construction in the area would sever links between East Jerusalem and other parts of the West Bank.

The seven countries reiterated their opposition to settlement expansion and warned against steps that could further erode the prospects for a negotiated settlement to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The E1 project was launched to connect the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim, built near the Palestinian town of al-Eizariya, to a road leading to West Jerusalem. Al-Eizariya was historically part of East Jerusalem but lies on the West Bank side of Israel’s separation barrier.

As part of the project, Israel seized some 12,000 dunams (about 3,000 acres) of Palestinian land in 1999 for the planned construction of more than 4,000 settlement housing units and hotels.

Illegal E1 project

The E1 project, widely seen as a major obstacle to the establishment of a contiguous Palestinian state, had previously been frozen amid pressure from successive U.S. administrations.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved the E1 project in September 2025, a move that would effectively divide the occupied West Bank into northern and southern sections.

Through the project, Israel seeks to sever territorial links between occupied East Jerusalem and Palestinian areas in the West Bank, further undermining the territorial contiguity of a future Palestinian state.

The Israeli government recently published the first tender for 1,234 housing units under the E1 project without prior notification to parties that had filed objections, despite an earlier commitment to provide such notice.

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Türkiye’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) Chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu on Friday condemned Israel’s strike on Syria’s Abu al-Duhur military air base and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s subsequent remarks on Türkiye, calling them a threat to Turkish sovereignty and regional stability.

In a statement on social media, Kılıçdaroğlu said Netanyahu’s assertion that Israel had “sent a message to Türkiye” amounted to an “open provocation” against the sovereignty of the Republic of Türkiye.

“No state, especially Israel, can use language suggesting that it can ‘bring Türkiye into line’ or ‘teach it a lesson,’” Kılıçdaroğlu said, describing such rhetoric as unacceptable toward a sovereign state.

He argued that the Israeli strike and Netanyahu’s remarks risk disrupting the fragile balance in Syria, escalating tensions and further destabilizing the region.

Kılıçdaroğlu said Türkiye’s national interests and regional stability required a determined but measured response, stressing that Ankara should maintain its position based on sovereignty and international law.

“Israel’s reckless attitude is a threat not only to Türkiye but to the entire region,” he stressed.

Kılıçdaroğlu also warned that continued Israeli military actions could push the wider region toward deeper conflict and instability.

The strikes by Israeli warplanes targeted Tuesday the disused Abu al-Duhur Military Air Base, located in northeastern Syria’s Idlib. According to Syrian officials, Israeli aircraft launched eight separate strikes on the facility, damaging its runway and striking a derelict structure inside a hangar.

The death toll in Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza has climbed to 73,417, with another 10 Palestinians killed and 25 others wounded over the past 24 hours, the Health Ministry said Thursday.

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Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held separate phone calls with his Egyptian and Saudi counterparts to coordinate regional diplomacy, focusing on obstacles to implementing the Gaza peace plan, developments in Syria and tensions surrounding the Strait of Hormuz.

Fidan spoke with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan al Saud as part of Türkiye’s ongoing diplomatic contacts over recent developments in the region, he said Thursday in a post on the Turkish social media platform NSosyal.

The three countries discussed problems that have emerged in the implementation of the Gaza peace plan and possible steps they could take in response, according to Fidan.

The ministers also reviewed the latest developments in Syria and reaffirmed their strong support for efforts to establish lasting peace and stability in the country.

The talks additionally covered the situation in the Strait of Hormuz and the latest stage of negotiations between the countries involved in the regional dispute.

Fidan said Türkiye, Egypt and Saudi Arabia would continue strengthening cooperation and coordination across all areas as three countries seeking peace and prosperity in the region.

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Türkiye’s anti-disinformation body rejected claims that certain social groups have been systematically targeted in recent operations and denied reports suggesting new restrictions have been imposed on minority schools.

The Center for Countering Disinformation (DMM), under the Turkish Presidency’s Directorate of Communications, said claims circulating on some social media platforms alleging that “certain social structures have been systematically and categorically targeted” in recent operations contained disinformation.

The center said judicial and administrative proceedings were not conducted on the basis of the name, nature or social affiliation of any group.

“All judicial and administrative processes are carried out by the competent authorities in accordance with relevant legislation, based on concrete incidents, unlawful acts and evidence obtained,” the DMM said.

It urged the public to rely on official statements and disregard what it described as deliberately circulated manipulative content.

Last week, Justice Minister Akın Gürlek noted recent investigations into organized crime groups target criminal acts rather than religious beliefs or communities.

“The fundamental criterion here is not the identity of any belief, religious structure or community, but criminal acts and structures connected to those acts,” Gürlek said in a social media statement. “Faith and religious values can in no way be turned into an instrument or shield for criminal activities.”

In a separate statement, the DMM also rejected reports suggesting that minority schools in Türkiye were being subjected to specific restrictions.

The center said posts circulating on some social media accounts and in media outlets that created the impression that minority schools were being “specifically targeted through various restrictions” contained disinformation and risked undermining social peace and cohesion.

No new measures beyond provisions already stipulated under relevant legislation have been introduced for minority schools, the DMM said.

It added that the schools continue their education and teaching activities.

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