Turkish National Defense Minister Yaşar Güler announced that military units along the Iran border have been put on alert following his inspections in the Iranian border province of Van. According to sources, this measure is not in response to a possible attack but rather to the possibility of migration. This statement marks the first concrete measure announced by Ankara following the Israeli attack that began on June 13. (Photo: Ministry of Defense)
Turkish National Defense Minister Yaşar Güler said on June 18 that, “Due to recent events in Iran, security measures at our borders have been heightened.” Güler made this statement after conducting inspections and reviews along the Turkish-Iranian border in Van province, accompanied by the Chief of General Staff, General Metin Gürak, and senior commanders. In response to a question from YetkinReport, defense sources clarified that the heightened measures are “not a state of alert against a military threat from Iran but rather a precaution against a potential mass migration.”
Turkish Interior Ministry sources, responding to YetkinReport’s question, stated that no migration activity has been observed at the Iran border at this time, and no increase in crossings from Iran to Türkiye has been recorded since Israel’s attack began on June 13. This aligns with the defense sources’ statement about being on alert for a “potential migration possibility.”
Türkiye has built an 837 km wall along its border with Syria and a 251 km wall along its border with Iran to address illegal migration waves.
“Israel is dragging the region into chaos.”
Key points from Defense Minister Güler’s statement include:
• “We are closely monitoring the latest developments in our near geography from the very beginning. We condemn the unlawful attacks launched by Israel last Friday against our border neighbor, Iran. Israel’s lawless attacks, starting with Gaza, then Lebanon, and now Iran, clearly demonstrate its intent to spread conflict across the entire region.”
• “Ignoring even domestic criticism and adopting boundless aggression, Israel is dragging our near geography into great chaos with its actions. The entire international community must urgently take action to stop the arbitrary actions of the Israeli administration, which is condemning the region to chaos and disorder.”
“Our border line and airspace”
• “As Türkiye, in response to these critical developments, we are acting within the framework of our President’s directives, adopting a proactive security paradigm, and conducting assessments for all possibilities that may affect our country in close coordination with relevant institutions.” • “I particularly emphasize that, as the Ministry of National Defense, we are taking and will continue to take comprehensive and robust measures to ensure the security of our homeland and noble nation, particularly the safety of our border line and airspace.”
• “The security systems we have established along our borders serve as an example for many countries. Let no one doubt that we will continue to maintain our border security at the highest level against any future developments.”
New air defense systems
The minister’s emphasis on “our airspace” alongside the border line is significant. While U.S. President Donald Trump threatened Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei with “unconditional surrender,” claiming that Iran’s airspace is now under their control, President Tayyip Erdoğan stated that Türkiye would soon deploy new air defense systems and increase its stock of medium- and long-range missiles.
Minister Güler also noted that, with the ongoing development of the national combat aircraft (MMU) Kaan and the domestically developed “Steel Dome” air defense system, which will integrate locally produced missiles, Türkiye aims to achieve the highest defense capacity to protect its homeland.
