After arrest warrant: Turkey appealed to Interpol demanding a "Red Notice" against Netanyahu

Tensions between Ankara and Jerusalem reached a new escalation today, Friday, on the international legal stage: the Turkish government has submitted an official request to Interpol to issue a Red Notice against the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, with the aim of securing his arrest.

This move is a direct continuation of the arrest warrant Turkey issued against Netanyahu last April. The background for the Turkish demand involves the events of the Global Sumud Flotilla that was making its way to the Gaza Strip. Turkey announced that it has opened criminal proceedings against dozens of Israelis, claiming they were involved in what it defined as an attack on the flotilla ships and the kidnapping of its activists.

The announcement was made by the Turkish Minister of Justice, Yilmaz Tunç. In a post published on his X account, the minister detailed the essence of the request submitted to Interpol and explicitly noted that the Prime Minister of Israel heads the list of defendants in the case.

This is a primary step by Turkey against the backdrop of the escalation following the attack this week in Syria. Since the incident, and despite combative rhetoric in Israel, Turkey is going out of its way to show that it is not moved by the situation. Officials have stated they are not willing to be dragged into Netanyahu's "game" or assist him in the elections, according to their perception and reports in the Turkish media. Among other things, they have frequently emphasized in recent days that President Erdogan is currently on vacation.