The request follows arrest orders issued by an Istanbul court over genocide, crimes against humanity and torture.

On Friday, Justice Minister Akin Gürlek confirmed that said Türkiye has formally requested that Interpol issue an international arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, military officer Afek Moskvitch, and other members of the Zionist state.

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The measure seeks to secure the international arrests of those responsible for Israel’s top policies and follows the Turkish arrest orders issued July 14 by the 11th Istanbul High Criminal Court.

The Turkish court is trying Netanyahu and 34 other defendants in absentia on charges of genocide, crimes against humanity and torture stemming from the interception in international waters of the Global Sumud Flotilla, which was carrying humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.

“We categorically reject the idea that the Netanyahu government is immune from accountability. We will not allow the crimes committed in Gaza to go unpunished,” the Justice Minister said after confirming that the judicial request had been forwarded to the Interior Ministry and Foreign Ministry for diplomatic processing.

Benjamin Netanyahu is a war criminal. pic.twitter.com/YRezmW6YVx

— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) July 22, 2026

The request for an international arrest warrant comes amid a period of heightened bilateral tensions triggered by an Israeli airstrike on Aug. 18 against the Abu Zuhur base in Syria’s Idlib region, located about 70 kilometers from the Turkish border.

Tel Aviv justified the offensive by claiming that Syria was planning to allow Turkish troops to be deployed in the area. Both Ankara and Damascus formally denied the existence of plans to establish a permanent Turkish military presence at Abu Zuhur.

Despite those denials, Israel warned Türkiye against “dangerous adventures” in Syria, while Ankara continued to demand an end to Israel’s “irresponsible” attacks.

The warnings exchanged between the two sides and the tone of their statements have raised tensions between Türkiye and Israel to the point that there are fears of a crisis carrying the risk of direct military confrontation.

On Friday, Devlet Bahçeli, leader of the Nationalist Movement Party — a key partner in President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s governing coalition — called for Israel’s membership in the United Nations to be suspended and warned the Israeli government to stop “testing Ankara’s patience.”

teleSUR/ JF

Source: EFE

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