Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Sunday accused Israel of using security concerns to seize new territory, in the latest strongly worded comments by Ankara against Jerusalem.

“Security is being used by the Netanyahu government as an excuse to occupy more land,” Fidan said, referring to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government at the closing of a three-day diplomacy forum in the southern Antalya province.

“This is a fundamentalist government. They are a problem for the whole world. This is not just a problem for Turkey,” Fidan said.

Turkey’s top diplomat also accused Israel of seeking to create facts on the ground in Lebanon, despite an agreed ceasefire, denouncing what he said was “Israeli expansionism.”

The 10-day ceasefire that began halted more than six weeks of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, the Lebanese terror group backed by Iran, after the latter launched attacks during the war with the Islamic Republic.

Netanyahu has framed it as a strategic opening for both diplomacy with Beirut and continued military pressure, while Iran has linked the ceasefire in Lebanon to its own shaky, temporary ceasefire with the US, which paused the war that began with joint US-Israeli strikes on the Islamic Republic.

“The ongoing Iran–United States negotiations seem to be overshadowing this situation [in Lebanon]. Israel appears to be trying to take advantage of this distraction to create a fait accompli,” Fidan also said.

Fidan said stopping this threat is clearly on the international community’s agenda. He also described the defense agreements signed between Israel, Greece, and Cyprus in December last year as a “military alliance against the Muslim countries in the region.”

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been one of the most harshly critical foreign leaders of Israel, accusing Jerusalem of genocide and war crimes, praising ICC arrest warrants against Israeli leaders, and calling on the UN to recommend the use of force against Israel.

The longtime Turkish leader has also often expressed support for Hamas as defenders of their homeland, including after the terrorist organization’s October 7 massacre, in which it killed some 1,200 people in Israel, mostly civilians, and took 251 hostages.

Earlier this month, Israeli leaders lashed Erdogan after prosecutors in Turkey reportedly filed indictments against 35 top officials, including Netanyahu, seeking a total of more than 4,500 years in prison.

Netanyahu accused Erdogan of massacring Kurds in his own country, while Defense Minister Israel Katz and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir also responded with posts bashing Erdogan.

Turkey’s Foreign Ministry then replied to Netanyahu with a statement, calling the Israeli premier “the Hitler of our time.”

Turkey recently joined diplomatic efforts with Egypt and Pakistan to reach a ceasefire in the conflict with Iran.

In January, Trump included Fidan in his Board of Peace’s Gaza Executive Board. Following the White House announcement, Netanyahu came under fire from across the Israeli political spectrum for being unable to prevent Turkey from gaining a foothold in Gaza through the new panel.

Are you relying on The Times of Israel for accurate and timely coverage of the Iran war right now? If so, please join The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6/month, you will:

Support our independent journalists who are working around the clock under difficult conditions to cover this conflict;

Read ToI with a clear, ads-free experience on our site, apps and emails; and

Gain access to exclusive content shared only with the ToI Community, including weekly letters from founding editor David Horovitz.

We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.

You clearly find our careful reporting of the Iran war valuable, at a time when facts are often distorted and news coverage often lacks context.

Your support is essential to continue our work. We want to continue delivering the professional journalism you value, even as the demands on our newsroom have grown dramatically during this ongoing conflict.

So today, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6 a month you'll become our partners while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.

Thank you,David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel

1 Trump: Iran ‘got a little cute’ by blocking Hormuz again, but talks going ‘really well’

2 Iran parliament speaker touts ‘progress’ in US talks, but Strait of Hormuz still shut

3 Anti-Israel group files formal complaint against released IDF soldier in Sri Lanka

4 IDF reservist killed by Hezbollah explosive in Lebanon amid truce, 3 troops hurt

5 Arson attempt hits London synagogue; Iran-linked group claims attack

6 ‘Test tube orgy’: Israeli scientists use yeast to assess humans’ mating preferences

7 US envoy argues Israeli policy on Syria and Turkey strategically counterproductive

8 Trump managing Iran war based on conflicting caprices that blindside his aides — report

Israel-Turkey relations

2026 Israel-Hezbollah conflict

2026 US-Israel war with Iran

© The Times of Israel