Turkish police used tear gas and water cannon on Sunday to disperse a large pro-Palestinian rally near the Incirlik Air Base in Adana, which is also home to US Air Force personnel, hours before US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was due in Ankara for talks on Gaza.
As part of the "Freedom Convoy for Palestine" campaign initiated by the Turkish Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH), a convoy left Istanbul on Sunday and traveled to the Incirlik base where the US military is stationed. The demonstrators demanded the closure of the base amid the escalation in Gaza.
According to media reports, the action was peaceful at first, but at some point a group of protesters started throwing plastic chairs, rocks and other objects at the police and tried to enter the base. Police responded with tear gas and water cannon.
"Friends, it is wrong to throw rocks or do similar things because both the police and soldiers would want to go to Gaza and fight and they will go when the time comes," IHH President Bulent Yildirim said.
The IHH ended its rally earlier than scheduled because of the clashes with the police.
Anti-American sentiment has been on the rise in Turkiye since Washington announced its support for Israel's military operation against Gaza.
Palestinian group Hamas launched a surprise attack against Israel from Gaza, killing some 1,400 people and abducting hundreds more. On October 27, Israel expanded a large-scale ground incursion inside the Gaza Strip to eliminate Hamas and rescue the hostages.
Incirlik Air Base in Adana province in southern Turkiye is used by the US Air Force. The US military also operates a missile early warning radar station in the Kurecik district of Malatya province in southeastern Turkiye, which is part of NATO's missile defense system in Europe.