ISTANBUL: Israel’s attacks in Lebanon and Gaza are pushing Iran to take “legitimate steps,” Turkiye’s foreign minister said Saturday in a joint press conference in Istanbul with his Iranian counterpart. “Israel’s aggressive stance is forcing Iran to take legitimate steps,” Turkiye’s Hakan Fidan said alongside Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was “constantly opening new fronts in the region” and “trying to draw Iran into this war,” he said. “The risk of war spreading to the entire region should not be underestimated.” Iran backs the Islamist groups Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, whose top leaders have been killed by Israel in the widening Middle East crisis. Iran also backs Houthi rebels in Yemen and Shiite militias in Iraq, as well as Syria’s armed forces. Tehran collectively calls these proxies and militias an “axis of resistance” against Israel. On October 1, Iran launched a barrage of around 200 missiles in retaliation for the September 27 killing of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut and the July 31 killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. Israel, which has vowed to strike back at Iran for that barrage, on Wednesday in Gaza killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, mastermind of the October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel that triggered the current escalating conflict. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have warned they would hit Israel “painfully” if it attacks Iranian targets.