Netanyahu adds Erdogan to his list of regional adversaries
At a highly sensitive time, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu entered into a confrontation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, adding a new adversary to his list of opponents in the Middle East, a move that falls within the framework of mobilizing his popular base in preparation for his difficult upcoming election battle in October.
The strike on the Abu al-Duhur airbase in Syria placed Turkish-Israeli relations under a new test, amid Ankara’s commitment to continue military support for Damascus and Tel Aviv’s insistence on preventing any Turkish deployment it considers a threat, while retaining the option to expand its strikes.
As the confrontation in Syria takes on a more complex dimension, Israeli fears have risen regarding the growing Turkish maritime presence in the eastern Mediterranean, amid mutual monitoring and increasing military movements, although no direct confrontation between the two countries has developed so far.
Israeli security officials said that the increased Turkish maritime activity in the eastern Mediterranean raises concerns about Ankara’s growing role in Syria, according to the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, despite no direct military confrontation between the two countries being recorded so far.
The newspaper emphasized that Turkey will continue to support Syria’s efforts to build its infrastructure and military capabilities under the principle of a “single army,” calling on Israel to stop what it described as reckless attacks and to comply with the requirements of international law. It also confirmed that the base did not host any Turkish military mission at the time of the attack.
For his part, Burhanuddin Duran, the Director of Communications at the Presidency, stated that Turkey has “enough experience not to fall into the trap of figures like Netanyahu,” accusing him of targeting peace and stability in the region.
While Duran considered Netanyahu’s threats against Turkey and Syria to reflect his “international isolation and political fears,” Netanyahu escalated his rhetoric. He said he had warned Turkey against establishing a base in Syria, asserting that he “will not allow any military deployment by them that poses a threat to Israel.”
He noted that Israel had initially opposed, in general terms, a Turkish military presence at Abu al-Duhur base, adding, “Apparently, they did not hear that, so we made sure they understood it more clearly,” referring to the strike that targeted the base.
Meanwhile, Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir went further, declaring that Israel would not allow the deployment of “hostile forces” near its border with Syria. Channel 12 reported that Israeli officials stated that Israel has drawn clear “red lines” for Damascus and Ankara regarding what it accepts and what it rejects, particularly in areas close to the Golan.
