Lapid in Turkey: Ankara ‘knows how to respond’ to Iranian attacks on Israelis

Standing next to Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu after their bilateral meeting, Yair Lapid says that Israel is confident Ankara “knows how to respond to the Iranians” in the wake of ongoing attempts to harm Israeli travelers on Turkish soil.

“Iran is behind these attempted terrorist attacks,” says Lapid. “The intelligence leaves no doubt about it.”

“Israel won’t sit idly by when there are attempts to harm its citizens in Israel and around the world,” he pledges.

The foreign minister says Israel’s immediate goal is to restore calm and lower the travel warning to Turkey ahead of the peak tourist season.

Turning to warming Israel-Turkey ties, Lapid says it is crucial that the two sides finish the process of allowing Israeli airlines to once again fly to Turkey.

“In the last year, there was great progress in the relations between Israel and Turkiye,” says Lapid, using the country’s new official name. “We began to hold discussions on returning ambassadors in the near future, and on improving our economic and political dialogue.”

“I hope we will complete these steps soon.”

Lapid returns to Israel this evening after departing from Ben Gurion Airport around noon.