Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan is warning that Israel now looks actively to be seeking an opportunity to initiate another military strike against Iran, a move that he says could further destabilize an already volatile Middle East.
“I hope they find a different path, but the reality is that Israel, in particular, is looking for an opportunity to strike Iran,”
Fidan said in an interview with Turkish broadcaster NTV aired on Friday. Asked if the assessment was valid equally for the US and Israel, Fidan added that, among the two countries,
“Israel is the main actor that exhibits an intention,”
according to Türkiye Today.
Diplomatic Messages Delivered Directly to Tehran
Fidan disclosed that he held private meetings with Iran to address Turkey’s concerns and that he personally discussed these issues with Iranian officials when he recently visited Iran. Fidan stated,
“When I went to Tehran in recent days, I told them everything about the process as their friend. And you know, a friend speaks bitter truths.”
These comments came on the heels of a phone call held by the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, wherein the former reaffirmed the stance of Türkiye against foreign intervention in Iran while underscoring the need for regional peace and stability.
Airline Suspensions Signal Rising Security Fears
Indicators of an unstable situation have also appeared within civilian air transport, as several airliners in Europe have cancelled or modified their routes to major Middle Eastern cities because of ever-escalating geopolitic variables.
French airline firm Air France has announced plans to suspend airline activities to Dubai. According to the airline firm, this is a result of the “current situation in the Middle East.” This news has elicited a lot of public reaction over issues such as security.
Similarly, the Dutch airline KLM has ceased its flights to Tel Aviv, Dubai, Dammam, and Riyadh until further notice. They have also announced that they will be avoiding Iraq, Iran, Israel, and the United Arab Emirates’ airspace. This was reported by the NOS, a state broadcaster from the Netherlands. KLM has not detailed the basis for this decision in public information, though they are in close contact with the Dutch authorities regarding this matter.
US Naval Buildup Adds to Regional Anxiety
The latest disruptions come as US President Donald Trump confirmed the deployment of a significant US naval force to the Gulf region, describing it as an “armada” heading toward Iran.
“We’re watching Iran,”
Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as he returned from the World Economic Forum in Davos.
“We have a lot of ships going that direction, just in case.”
US media reports indicate that the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and its strike group have diverted from the South China Sea and are expected to arrive in the Gulf in the coming days.
Tehran Issues Stark Warning of All-Out War
Iran has responded to the escalating rhetoric with stark warnings. A senior Iranian official told Reuters that any attack by Iran’s enemies would be treated as an act of total war.
“If the Americans violate Iran’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, we will respond,”
the official said, adding that Iran’s military was on high alert and prepared for the “worst-case scenario.”
“This time we will treat any attack – limited, unlimited, surgical, kinetic, whatever they call it – as an all-out war against us,”
the official warned.
Here are two expanded paragraphs with subheadings you can insert into your article, adding historical context, data, and detail about the last major Israel-Iran conflict — including dates, military losses and infrastructure damage:
What Happened in the Last Major Israel–Iran War (June 2025)?
The latest direct military action between Iran and Israel occurred in June 2025, with Israel launching a vast and coordinated air assault on Iranian nuclear and missile capabilities under Operation Rising Lion.
Israeli attacks on Iranian military sites began on June 13, with over a hundred targets hit. Among them were Iran’s primary uranium enrichment center at Natanz, missile production centers, radars, and important Iranian Revolution Guard Force bases.
According to reports from Israeli officials, the strikes had been successful in eliminating Iranian military leadership, including important military commanders and Iranian nuclear specialists. Additionally, important Iranian air defenses and ballistic missile launch capacity were also severely impaired.
Iran retaliated with waves of ballistic missiles and drones, triggering air raid sirens across central and southern Israel and leading to defensive interceptions by Israeli systems. The fighting lasted roughly 12 days before a ceasefire was brokered, with the conflict scarring both countries’ military postures and raising concerns of broader regional escalation.
Human and Economic Toll: Casualties, Damage and Strategic Impact
The casualty numbers due to the war in June 2025 were substantial, as per various estimates made after the war was over. Approximately 627 Iranians died in the war, and around 4,870 were wounded. From Israel’s side, there were 28 casualties, all of them civilians, while more than 3,000 were hospitalised because of missile strikes and fragmentation injuries caused by them.
The attack launched by Iranians harmed civilian facilities in Israel too—namely Soroka Medical Center in Beer-Sheba, which was damaged during this time and prompted a mass evacuation of the hospital.
The Israeli aerial defense system, according to reports, managed to intercept most of the missiles and drones headed in Israel’s direction, though some managed to pass through, attacking residential areas and other key installations. Beyond human losses, major economic and strategic losses were sustained by both parties; Iran faced setbacks in its nuclear, enrichment, and defense installations, while Israel spent billions of shekels purchasing missile interceptors, repairing damaged installations, and maintaining a high frequency of sorties throughout the conflict period.
