Turkey’s foreign minister stated on Saturday that Israel’s attacks on Lebanon and Gaza are pushing Iran to respond with legitimate measures.

Speaking at a joint press conference in Istanbul with his Iranian counterpart, Hakan Fidan accused Israel of adopting an aggressive approach, forcing Iran into action.

He added that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is “constantly opening new fronts” and attempting to draw Iran into the ongoing conflict.

Fidan warned that the risk of war spreading throughout the region is significant. Iran supports resistance groups like Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, whose leaders were killed by Israel in the escalating Middle East crisis.

Additionally, Iran backs the Houthi rebels in Yemen, Shiite militias in Iraq, and Syria’s military forces, collectively referring to these allies as an “axis of resistance” against Israel.

Following the September 27 killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut and the July 31 assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, Iran launched a retaliatory strike with around 200 missiles on October 1.

In response, Israel killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in Gaza, who was behind the October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have warned of “painful” retaliation if Israel targets Iranian interests.