Turkey Accused of Turning Blind Eye to ISIS Suicide Attack

The mother of a victim (C) cries for her son on his coffin during a funeral ceremony in Gaziantep on July 21, 2015, following a suicide bomb attack the day before which killed 33 in the southern Turkish town of Suruc. Photo by BULENT KILIC/AFP via Getty Images.
The mother of a victim (C) cries for her son on his coffin during a funeral ceremony in Gaziantep on July 21, 2015, following a suicide bomb attack the day before which killed 33 in the southern Turkish town of Suruc. Photo by BULENT KILIC/AFP via Getty Images.
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Turkey Accused of Turning Blind Eye to ISIS Suicide Attack

The mother of a victim (C) cries for her son on his coffin during a funeral ceremony in Gaziantep on July 21, 2015, following a suicide bomb attack the day before which killed 33 in the southern Turkish town of Suruc. Photo by BULENT KILIC/AFP via Getty Images.
The mother of a victim (C) cries for her son on his coffin during a funeral ceremony in Gaziantep on July 21, 2015, following a suicide bomb attack the day before which killed 33 in the southern Turkish town of Suruc. Photo by BULENT KILIC/AFP via Getty Images.

As Turkey marked the fifth anniversary of the Suruc suicide bombing that left 33 people dead and 100 wounded, the Justice for Suruc Platform, a group of lawyers and legal institutions involved in the case, accused government officials of having prior knowledge of the plot but turning a blind eye.

ISIS bombed a group of youth activists, the Federation of Socialist Youth Associations (SGDF), in the southern Turkish province of Sanlıurfa, bordering Syria.

The suicide bomber, Abdurrahman Alagoz, was later discovered to be a wanted terror suspect, along with his brother Yunus Emre, the perpetrator of the deadly Ankara bombing that killed 109 people a few months later in October 2015, the report said.

Despite authorities’ efforts to search people in the vicinity, Alagoz managed to roam freely in Suruc on the day of the attack, according to the report, which cited footage as evidence. Moreover, after the attack, police forces prevented ambulances from arriving on the scene of the incident.

Requests by Justice for Suruc Platform to expand the scope of the investigation, open it to public control, and include victims in the process have all been denied, and an application submitted to Turkey’s Constitutional Court regarding alleged violations in the case was rejected.

Five hours had been cut from the video footage of the day of the Suruc attack – footage that was only brought in as evidence for the investigation three-and-a-half years later, the report said.

“It is evident that footage following the massacre was intentionally not included in the case file,” the report states, as it shows “how the transfer of the wounded to hospitals was prevented by law-enforcement authorities, pepper spray was used on the crowds and perhaps more."

“It is very evident that the state overlooked a massacre by not taking precautions in Suruc,’’ the report added. “There is not just an oversight, but ill intent and this is not a claim, as it is a truth that has been substantiated by documents."



Israel Strikes Hezbollah's 'Radwan Force' Deep Inside Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley

Smoke rises over Baalbek, Hezbollah stronghold near Syria border – AFP
Smoke rises over Baalbek, Hezbollah stronghold near Syria border – AFP
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Israel Strikes Hezbollah's 'Radwan Force' Deep Inside Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley

Smoke rises over Baalbek, Hezbollah stronghold near Syria border – AFP
Smoke rises over Baalbek, Hezbollah stronghold near Syria border – AFP

Israel carried out a wave of airstrikes on eastern Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley on Tuesday, targeting Hezbollah’s elite Radwan force in what Israeli officials described as an effort to disrupt the group’s attempts to rebuild its military capabilities.

The strikes, which followed more than 48 hours of relative calm along the Lebanese-Israeli border, marked a sharp escalation as US-brokered negotiations continue between Washington and Beirut over proposals to curb Hezbollah’s armed presence.

Military analysts said the Israeli escalation appeared aimed at sending a forceful message as US envoy Tom Barrack pushes Lebanese authorities to accept a timeline for the group's disarmament under a potential ceasefire framework.

Israeli warplanes struck targets in both the eastern and western mountain ranges of the Bekaa Valley, according to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA).

Two initial raids hit areas west of Baalbek- Shmistar and Wadi Umm Ali - followed by more strikes southeast of the city.

NNA reported that 12 people were killed in the bombardment, while Reuters confirmed that five of the dead were Hezbollah members. Local media said Syrian nationals were among those killed in strikes near Hermel.

Footage shared online showed plumes of smoke rising from bombed-out sites across the Bekaa. Shrapnel shattered windows at a public high school in Shmistar where students were sitting for state exams, and a revered religious shrine - Maqam al-Nabi Ismail in Brital - was reportedly damaged. Two civilians were wounded.

In its first official response, Hezbollah condemned the airstrikes as a “major escalation” in Israel’s months-long military campaign against Lebanon. The Iran-backed group urged the Lebanese state to “break its futile silence” and called for immediate international intervention, particularly from the United States, to uphold existing ceasefire guarantees.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said the strikes were intended as a “clear message” to Hezbollah, accusing the group of attempting to restore its operational capabilities along the border.

In a statement posted on X, Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee said the air raids targeted Hezbollah’s Radwan force in the Bekaa, including training camps and weapons depots.

He added that militants had been conducting live-fire exercises and tactical drills at the sites, which he called a “flagrant violation” of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon.

According to Adraee, the Radwan unit - tasked in the past with a plan to seize territory in northern Israel - has been attempting to regroup since several of its senior commanders were killed in Israeli strikes in Beirut and southern Lebanon in September 2024.

In contrast to the Bekaa, the situation along southern Lebanon remained relatively stable on Tuesday, though NNA reported that Israeli troops fired machine guns toward the outskirts of Aita al-Shaab and shot at the newly established Blat Hill position overlooking the village of Rmaich.

Retired Lebanese Brig. Gen. Hassan Jouni said the Bekaa raids were part of a “calibrated pressure campaign” tied to the ongoing negotiations.

“The timing of these airstrikes is clearly linked to the back-and-forth between Lebanon and Washington. Israel wants to remind everyone of the current balance of power and signal that military pressure will continue until Hezbollah gives up its weapons,” Jouni told Asharq al-Awsat newspaper.

He said Hezbollah’s efforts to rebuild its capabilities had been publicly acknowledged by the group’s deputy leader, Sheikh Naim Qassem, placing the Lebanese government in a difficult position between appeasing US demands and avoiding internal strife.

Another retired officer, Brigadier General George Nader, warned that Israel’s message was clear: failure to cooperate with US proposals could lead to intensified strikes.

“While some speculate about a ground invasion, I find it unlikely,” Nader told Asharq al-Awsat. “Why would Israel risk soldiers’ lives when it can strike targets from the air with precision drones and jets?”

He cautioned that unless Lebanese officials take a decisive stance, the country could face a more aggressive Israeli air campaign in the coming weeks.