Turkey Refuses ‘Terrorist Army’ on its Border with Syria

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. (AFP)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. (AFP)
TT
20

Turkey Refuses ‘Terrorist Army’ on its Border with Syria

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. (AFP)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. (AFP)

The Turkish National Security Council (MGK) reiterated on Wednesday Ankara’s condemnation of a Washington plan to set up a security border force in western Syria.

In a statement, the MGK said it would not allow the formation of a “terrorist army” along Turkish borders.

The US-led coalition in northern Syria said it was working with the mainly Kurdish YPG-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to set up a new 30,000-strong border force.

Turkey will respond immediately to any threats from Western Syria that could harm the country or its citizens, stressed the MGK.

It demanded that all weapons given to Kurdish fighters in Syria be collected without delay.

It also advised the cabinet of ministers to extend the emergency rule imposed shortly after a 2016 coup attempt.

Ankara has frequently expressed its opposition to Washington’s arming of Kurdish forces in Syria.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said he will launch a military offensive in the coming days against territories controlled by Kurdish forces in northwestern and eastern Syria, and in particular the enclave of Afrin.

The US move to form the border force has been rejected by Tehran, Damascus and the Syrian opposition.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said he told US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson that those plans were a "perilous" step that would "seriously endanger ties." The two met in Vancouver Tuesday.

"Such a development would damage Turkish-American ties in an irreversible manner," the state-run Anadolu Agency quoted Cavusoglu as saying on Wednesday.

Erdogan said the imminent military operation is to "purge terror" from near its borders. Along with Afrin, Erdogan has also threatened Manbij, a town the Kurdish-led SDF seized from ISIS in 2016.



Katz Warns Hezbollah Against Joining Conflict with Iran

A police officer inspects fragments of missile parts on the ground at an impact site following Iran's missile strike on Israel, in Be'er Sheva, Israel, June 20, 2025. REUTERS/Amir Cohen
A police officer inspects fragments of missile parts on the ground at an impact site following Iran's missile strike on Israel, in Be'er Sheva, Israel, June 20, 2025. REUTERS/Amir Cohen
TT
20

Katz Warns Hezbollah Against Joining Conflict with Iran

A police officer inspects fragments of missile parts on the ground at an impact site following Iran's missile strike on Israel, in Be'er Sheva, Israel, June 20, 2025. REUTERS/Amir Cohen
A police officer inspects fragments of missile parts on the ground at an impact site following Iran's missile strike on Israel, in Be'er Sheva, Israel, June 20, 2025. REUTERS/Amir Cohen

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Lebanon's Hezbollah to exercise caution on Friday, saying Israel's patience with "terrorists" who threaten it had worn thin.

Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem said on Thursday that the Lebanese group would act as it saw fit in the face of what he called "brutal Israeli-American aggression" against Iran.

In other statements, the group has made no explicit pledge to join the fighting. But it has condemned Israel’s surprise strikes on Iran that sparked the conflict and endorsed Iran’s missile barrages over Israel.

"I suggest the Lebanese proxy be cautious and understand that Israel has lost patience with terrorists who threaten it,” Katz said in a statement on Friday, adding that "if there is terrorism -- there will be no Hezbollah."

Qassem “is not learning a lesson from his predecessors and is threatening to act against Israel in accordance with the Iranian dictator's orders,” Katz stated.

He said on Thursday that Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, “cannot continue to exist.”