Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan condemned on Tuesday Israeli air strikes near Damascus, saying they were an opportunity for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government to cover up its own killings. "The air strike Israel carried out on Damascus is completely unacceptable. There is no rationale, no pretext that can excuse this operation," Erdogan told a parliamentary meeting. "These attacks are chances, opportunities offered on a golden platter to Assad and to the illegitimate Syrian regime. Using the Israel attack as an excuse, he is trying to cover up the genocide in Banias," he said. Erdogan was referring to a Syrian coastal town where anti-Assad activists said at least 62 people were killed by government fighters over the weekend. However, it was unclear whether Israel was effectively helping the rebels by raiding the Qasioun sites, as Damascus has said, or attacked the air defences purely to safeguard its own operations against Iranian-supplied missiles. Lebanon, which borders both Israel and Syria, has also condemned the air strikes and called on the U.N. Security Council to condemn violations of its air space by Israel.
Scene in Banias is as severe as Karbala
Regarding the attacks on civilians in Syria's Banias province, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated on Tuesday that "The scene in Banias is as severe as Karbala. The murders are as bloody as Yazid."
"We are waiting for the international community and especially Muslim world to find a prompt solution for the genocide attempt in Banias. UN Security Council and Arap Leauge should immediately come together for taking a decision about this issue" said Erdogan.
Erdogan also emphasized that the whole world kept quiet for the sake of political balance.
"All international institutions should put this genocide attempt on their agenda and take concrete measures" said Erdogan.