Turkey's Erdoğan, Iran's Raisi Discuss Ties, Israeli Attacks

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi held talks on Friday.

The talks focus on bilateral relations, regional matters, as well as Israel’s attacks on the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Presidency's Directorate of Communications said.

Erdoğan reportedly told Raisi; “The Islamic world should be united against Israel's attacks in Palestine."

This comes as Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip continued for the second day this week.

The escalation follows Israeli forces' storming the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem and forcibly removing Palestinian worshippers for two nights in a row.

Erdoğan added it would be “beneficial” for all sides to adopt common sense.

He further urged Raisi to continue efforts to preserve the status of holy places on international platforms, starting with the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the United Nations.

Raisi is now due for a visit to Ankara. Raisi’s upcoming visit is expected to start a new phase in bilateral relations, as expressed by top diplomats on both sides.