Erdogan says Netanyahu is to blame for Iran’s attack on Israel

ANKARA (AFP): Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was the main one to blame for Iran’s first direct attack on Israel.

“The main one responsible for the tension that gripped our hearts on the evening of April 13 is Netanyahu and his bloody administration,” the Turkish leader, who regularly criticizes Israel and its leadership, said in televised remarks.

“Those who have been silent for months about Israel’s aggressive attitude immediately condemned the Iranian response,” he said. “But it’s Netanyahu himself who is the first who should be condemned.”

He said Israel’s April 1 attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus violated international law and “was the straw that broke the camel’s back.”

Turkey Sunday called for “an end to the escalation” in the Middle East after Iran’s attack on Israel, saying there was a risk of setting off a regional war.

Iran launched more than 300 drones and missiles against Israel Saturday night in response to Israel’s bombing of the consular section of its Damascus embassy. Almost all the projectiles were intercepted by Israel and its allies.