A number of Turkish media outlets supportive of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have begun proliferating apparently false news reports claiming rival Kurdish groups entered into a secret deal with Israel to gain their independence by resettling Jews to the region.

Stories appearing Wednesday in Turkish newspapers, such as Yenia Akit and Aksam, that back Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party alleged that Mahmoud Barzani, president of Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government, agreed to welcome some 200,000 Israeli Jews of Kurdish origin, Al-Monitor reported. In exchange, Israel would reportedly back Barzani's bid for Kurdish statehood in an upcoming referendum, that's been met with opposition by nearly every regional actor, including Iran, Iraq and Turkey.