The tone in Ankara has risen over the two deadly assaults on 31 May 2010 against Turkish naval interests.

Shortly after midnight, a commando attacked the naval military base of İskenderun (near the Syrian border). The assailants fired rockets and killed seven Turkish soldiers.

Two hours later, Israeli forces attacked two Turkish merchant ships in the Mediterranean which were part of the Freedom Flotilla. The aggressors killed at least nine passengers, including six Turkish nationals.
Earlier that afternoon, Abdullah Öcalan, historic Kurdish separatist leader of the PKK, had announced he would desist from conducting his movement from prison. It is unclear exactly how the PKK is currently operating.

Although the first attack was claimed by the PKK, or was claimed in its name, certain Turkish officials do not exclude the possibility that it was sponsored by Israel.

The Vice-President of the AKP (Democratic-Muslim government party), Hüseyin Çelik, said he did not believe in coincidence. The new chairman of the CHP (Social Democrat secular party), Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, qualified the coincidence as "significant". While the president of SP (Muslim conservative party), Numan Kurtulmuş, cautioned Israel, saying that he hoped the simultaneity of events was merely a chance outcome.

The government convened an ad hoc meeting of the National Security Council, on 2 June at 10am, to discuss the attacks. It will be chaired by the Prime Minister and will be attended by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the commanders of the three armies.