President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Monday Turkey aimed to create a safe zone in Syria, extending its military operations to the towns of Manbij and Raqqa after driving Daesh from al-Bab, if it acts together with the U.S.-led coalition.
In a speech in Bahrain, Erdoğan said the planned safe zone would cover an area of at least 4,000-5,000 square kilometres (3,475 square miles) and would require a no-fly zone.
The President condemned Israel's decision to ramp up settlements in the West Bank as an "absolute provocation".
Israel announced plans last month for 3,000 more settlement homes in the occupied West Bank. It has also retroactively legalised about 4,000 settlement homes built on privately owned Palestinian land, a move that brought condemnation from the United Nations and the European Union.
Erdoğan made the comment during an official visit. His comments were carried live on Turkish television.
Turkey and Israel normalised ties last year after a six-year rupture when 10 Turkish pro-Palestinian activists were killed by Israeli commandos enforcing a naval blockade of the Gaza Strip.
