NATO country building bomb shelters in prep for global conflict

A view of Istanbul, the capital of Turkey (Image: Getty)

Turkey is reportedly building bomb shelters across the country in response to the growing threat of war across the globe. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is said to have approved the project during a cabinet meeting earlier this summer.

Around that time, Iran and Israel were at war which saw Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu strike Tehran with various airstrikes and Ali Khamenei — the Supreme Leader of Iran — responding with ballistic missiles.

Donald Trump and the US would then get involved in the conflict too, bombing three Iranian nuclear facilities before a ceasefire would eventually be agreed between the two Middle Eastern nations.

The Turkish Housing Development Administration (TOKI) has been given the task of carrying out the construction of the bomb shelters.

It comes after a report on Israel's 12-day war with Iran was published by the Turkish National Intelligence Academy last month, recommending the Turkish government respond by establishing early warning systems and building well-equipped shelters.

Underground metro stations in major cities were suggested locations in attempt to mitigate civilian casualties in the event of a regional conflict.

Turkish officials are claimed to have been inspired by Israel's extensive network of bomb shelters in its major cities which allowed locals to take refuge during bombardments.

Broadcaster NTV reported on Tuesday that the goal of the initiative is "to create safe areas where civilians can be protected in case of possible wars or disasters" most notably inluding rising nuclear threats.

They noted that Turkey itself had lacked adequate infrastructure with exisiting facilities failing to meet basic requirements.

Construction has already begun in a number of cities, according to reports, including the capital of Ankara which has an estimated population of around 5.5 million people.

Turkey's Shelter Regulation, which was brought into law back in 1987, requires shelters in buildings above a certain size — but this legislation has often been ignored or not adhered to in its entirety, with these spaces often utilised as parking lots or for storage.