A statement attributed to Recep Tayyip Erdogan is rapidly going viral on social media these days, claiming that if Pakistan had not mediated between the US and Iran, Turkey would have attacked Israel.

The video was shared on X (Twitter) on April 11, accompanied by a caption that mentioned Pakistan’s role and possible action against Israel. The post was viewed by millions of people, liked thousands of times, and shared widely, after which the claim spread to other social media platforms.

When the video was checked for authenticity, it was found that the clip was actually part of Erdogan’s speech at an international conference held in Istanbul on April 10. The speech was made on the occasion of the ninth session of the International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP).

Watching the full video, it is clear that Erdogan did not mention Pakistan in his speech but criticized Israeli actions in Lebanon. He said that on the day of the ceasefire announcement, Israel targeted hundreds of Lebanese citizens and openly violated human values.

Furthermore, Turkey’s government agency, the Disinformation Counter Action Center, also denied this viral claim, clarifying that President Erdogan neither spoke of an attack on Israel nor referred to any role of Pakistan.

Turkish media outlets also reported the speech in detail, but no credible report included the remarks that are circulating on social media.

The available evidence thus makes it clear that the viral statement is not based on fact but rather a misleading claim, in which the context of the original speech was changed.