ISTANBUL

Israel is led by a network that considers itself superior to others and is dragging the region step by step toward a disaster, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday.

“We all know that the attacks targeting Gaza first, then Yemen and Lebanon, and most recently Iran, are not solely motivated by security concerns,” Erdogan said at an iftar event at the Presidential Complex in the capital Ankara.

The US and Israel have continued a joint offensive on Iran since Feb. 28, killing so far more than 1,200 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Tehran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, along with Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries, which it says are targeting “US military assets,” causing casualties and damage to infrastructure while disrupting global markets and aviation.

Israeli forces also intensified airstrikes and artillery shelling across southern Lebanon since early Tuesday, alongside a limited ground incursion, according to the Lebanese army and state media.