Türkiye warns on Houthi Red Sea threat, hails anti-settlement steps

Türkiye's National Defense Ministry on Thursday condemned drone strikes by Yemen's Houthis against Saudi Arabia and warned that persistent dangers to navigation in the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb Strait imperil both regional security and global commercial shipping lanes.

Houthi attacks threaten maritime security

Addressing reporters at the National Defense Ministry's weekly briefing in Ankara, spokesman Zeki Akturk stated that Ankara rejects the aerial assault on Saudi territory and broader Houthi operations threatening regional equilibrium. Akturk indicated that such destabilizing conduct must cease immediately, cautioning that the continued Houthi presence along these vital waterways affects not only regional security but international maritime trade.

Israeli actions and settlement boycott

Shifting focus to Israeli military operations, Akturk noted that Tel Aviv continues to compound regional volatility through concurrent strikes against Lebanon, Syria, and Palestinian territories. He endorsed initiatives by the UK, France, Canada, and nine other governments to ban economic transactions with unauthorized Israeli settlements in the West Bank, calling on global powers to move beyond rhetorical condemnations and adopt "concrete and deterrent measures" against Israeli strikes on displacement camps in Gaza and civilian districts in southern Lebanon. "We once again emphasize that Israel must immediately end its actions that violate international law in order to ensure peace and stability in the region," he said.

Mecca Defense Alliance clarified

Fielding queries regarding the Mecca Defense Alliance, the ministry described the trilateral pact linking Ankara, Islamabad, and Riyadh as grounded in historic bilateral ties, collaborative defense frameworks, and collective security principles. "The agreement is not directed against any country, nor does it constitute an alternative to the parties' existing relations with third countries," the ministry said. Officials noted that joint exercises to boost interoperability and defense capacity are proceeding in tripartite coordination, alongside ongoing work to formalize the alliance's institutional structures.

Aegean and Cyprus disputes

The ministry further criticized Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis's recent visit to Kastellorizo — designated Meis in Turkish — noting that Ankara monitored his engagements with soldiers deployed on the islet. Authorities emphasized that maintaining armed forces and naval vessels on the island — ceded to Athens under the 1947 Paris Peace Treaty on condition of demilitarization — violates the territory's legal status and undermines Aegean stability. Türkiye urged Greece "to comply with its obligations arising from international treaties and refrain from activities incompatible with the demilitarized status of the islands."

Regarding Washington's extension of the arms embargo waiver for the Greek Cypriot Administration through September 30, 2027, the ministry warned that the decision risks disturbing the "sensitive balances and environment of trust" across the island. "Türkiye, as a guarantor country, will continue, as it has in the past, to take the necessary measures in cooperation with the TRNC (Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus) authorities for the security, peace and prosperity of the Turkish Cypriots," it added.