Al-Aqsa Mosque is Türkiye's 'red line': President Erdogan

ANKARA

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday strongly condemned Israel's raid on Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem, saying: "I want to express sadness and anger."

"Türkiye cannot remain silent in the face of attacks. Reaching out to Al-Aqsa Mosque and trampling on the sanctity of the Haram al-Sharif is our red line," Erdogan said after an iftar dinner with retired people in the capital Ankara, a special fast-breaking meal for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

His remarks came after the tension escalated when Israeli police detained around 350 worshippers from inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex.

A group of Palestinians barricaded themselves inside the Al-Qibli Prayer Hall in the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex after Jewish settlers called for a raid on the mosque. They attempted to prevent police from entering by closing its doors.

Surrounding the Al-Qibli Prayer Hall, Israeli police went up to the roof of the mosque, smashed windows, and initially used sound bombs against worshippers inside. Some in the mosque tried to resist police by throwing fireworks.

"I condemn the vile acts against the first qibla of Muslims and call for the attacks to be stopped as soon as possible," Erdogan said.

Saying that Israel follows "the politics of oppression," Erdogan added that Palestinian people are not alone.