ISTANBUL — Turkish prosecutors launched a legal probe into the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo Wednesday after it published a cover containing an insulting cartoon depiction of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Lawyers representing Erdogan submitted a criminal complaint to prosecutors in Ankara, saying the content should be considered “libel” and was “not covered by freedom of expression.” The editorial staff of Charlie Hebdo did not respond to requests for comment.

Turkish presidential communications director Fahrettin Altun also condemned the caricature in a tweet Wednesday, calling its publication a “disgusting effort” to spread “cultural racism and hatred.” In response, French government spokesperson Gabriel Attal told reporters in Paris Wednesday remarks by Ankara officials had been “hateful” in the fallout caused by the caricature.

The developments come amid an ongoing spat between Erdogan and French President Emmanuel Macron, who have traded barbs in recent months over divergent stances in the Libyan war, tensions in the eastern Mediterranean Sea and more recently over fighting in the southern Caucuses.