Israel has strongly condemned the Turkish operation in northeast Syria and warned against the danger of ethnic cleansing of the Kurdish population by Ankara and its proxies.
In a statement incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted on his Twitter account, he referred to Turkey’s self-proclaimed “Operation Peace Spring” cross-border incursion as a “flagrant invasion.” Furthermore, in light of the close historic relations between the Jewish State and the stateless Kurdish nation, Netanyahu pledged that “Israel is prepared to extend humanitarian assistance to the gallant Kurdish people.”
The Israeli denouncement came amid reports of intensified battles between the Turkish military alongside its Syrian paramilitary allies against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. While the Turkish Defense Ministry reported that at least 228 Kurdish militants were killed as part of its offensive, Kurdish reports have accused Ankara of indiscriminate fire that caused many civilian casualties. The first death of a Turkish soldier was confirmed this morning, while dozens of Ankara-backed Syrian fighters were reportedly killed during counterattacks orchestrated by SDF forces. More than a dozen Turkish civilians were killed and more than 70 others wounded during intensive rocket and mortar fire from northeast Syria into two Turkish border towns.