Turkish officials blast Israeli attempts to 'denigrate' Erdoğan

Turkish officials rejected Israeli attempts to "denigrate" President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Friday and condemned Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz for his latest provocation.

Katz targeted Erdoğan in a post on social media, claiming that the Turkish president is turning his country into a "dictatorship."

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan slammed Katz, calling his remarks "a complete form of illness."

"Israel Katz's continuous use of our country and our President as subjects for his own delusions, instead of focusing on his role as Foreign Minister, is a complete form of illness," Fidan said on X.

"This individual, whose presence in the cabinet is nothing but an obsession with spreading slander and lies, is the embodiment of the insolence and shamelessness of the genocidal Netanyahu government," he further stated.

Saying that Ankara would not allow any attempts to discredit his love and great contributions to Türkiye and the Turkish people, Fidan pledged solidarity with Erdoğan.

Katz has been posting provocative messages insulting Erdoğan and Türkiye often.

Tensions between Israel and Türkiye have risen since the Gaza war, with Ankara cutting off commercial ties and Erdoğan repeatedly criticizing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling for global action for the atrocities of Israel.

"Those who massacre innocent children and civilians in occupied Gaza are not allowed to mention Türkiye [and] the name of our President or the concept of freedom and democracy," Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz said in a statement on X.

"Happier days will come when Palestine is free and Netanyahu is held accountable."

Separately, Türkiye's Communications Director Fahrettin Altun on Friday also...