Erdogan raises alarm over US carrier near Israel

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has criticized the US for sending a group of warships to the eastern Mediterranean in a show of solidarity with Israel which on Sunday formally declared war on Hamas.

During a joint press conference with Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer in Ankara on Tuesday, Erdogan said that moving a carrier strike group, which includes the USS Gerald R. Ford, closer to Israel, would commit “serious massacres” in Gaza.

“What will the aircraft carrier of the US do near Israel, why do they come? What will boats around and aircraft on it will do? They will hit Gaza and around, and take steps for serious massacres there,” Erdogan said.

During the same press conference, the Turkish strongman criticized American military’s presence in Syria and reiterated his criticism of the US for shooting down a Turkish drone in the area last week, an incident that the Pentagon has described as “regrettable.”

“Look, there are over twenty American bases in Syria today. What are America’s bases doing in Syria?,” Erdogan said. “Unfortunately, America shot down one of Turkey’s unmanned aerial vehicles… Isn’t Turkey currently America’s partner in NATO?,” he said, while accusing Washington of supporting terrorist organizations.

“Unfortunately, America is currently training, and arming all terrorist groups, and unfortunately, it is turning these places into bloodbaths, whether in Syria, in this region or in the Middle East,” Erdogan said.

Also on Tuesday, Ankara renewed its offer to mediate and soothe tensions between Israel and the Palestinians, with Erdogan holding phone calls with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Russian President Vladimir Putin.