Israel Today: Is Türkiye the next big threat to Israel?

A report published by the Israel today Hebrew website warned that Türkiye could become the next major threat to Israel due to its growing military presence in Syria, its support for the new Syrian regime, and the escalation of anti-Israel rhetoric from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Itay Ilnay, an investigative reporter at the site, said that Türkiye’s expanding influence in Syria, Libya and Azerbaijan reminds Israel of the Turkish president’s statement that Türkiye is bigger, in a speech he gave at the Turkish Academy of Sciences on December 18, 2024.

The report indicated that Erdogan’s statements come amid increasing tension between his country and Israel, a tension that worsened after the fall of the ousted regime of Bashar al Assad and the rise of a new government in Damascus headed by Ahmed al Sharaa, who is supported by Ankara.

Although Türkiye didn’t participate in the attack led by Sharaa, experts the site spoke to are convinced that Erdogan had a hand in the matter behind the scenes, as Sharaa would not have launched the attack without obtaining Ankara’s approval, according to the report.

The report added that Turkish activity in Syria is the cornerstone of Erdogan’s expansionist policy, as Ankara has established a permanent military and political presence in northern Syria, which enhances its influence in the region.

In this regard, the Israeli Nagel Committee, which specializes in security and defense issues, submitted a report to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last month, in which it warned that Israel may face a new threat emanating from Syria with Turkish support, especially if Syria becomes a proxy for Türkiye as part of Erdogan’s plan to restore the glory of the Ottoman Empire, which could lead to a direct war between Türkiye and Israel, according to Israel Today.

The committee stressed that the entry of the Turkish army into Syria could lead to the rearmament of Syria at an accelerated pace, calling on Netanyahu to adopt a new approach based on absolute zero tolerance for the Syrian situation.

Erdogan and al Sharaa met at the beginning of this month, which discussed signing a joint defense agreement between Ankara and Damascus, which includes establishing two Turkish air bases in central Syria and training the Syrian army.

The report wondered whether Israel was heading towards a military confrontation with Türkiye, especially after what it described as the weakening of the Shiite axis led by Iran, and indicated that Türkiye may be able, through its support for the new regime in Damascus, to establish a land bridge linking it to Israel, which will allow it to place military forces near the Israeli border.

The report explained that Israeli-Turkish relations have witnessed an improvement in recent years, especially after Israeli President Isaac Herzog met Erdogan in Ankara in 2022, but the outbreak of the recent war led to a major setback in these relations, as Türkiye froze its trade with Israel and Turkish Airlines stopped its flights to Ben Gurion Airport, while Erdogan escalated his statements against the Israeli attacks on the people of Gaza.

The report indicated that Türkiye has strengthened its military capabilities in recent years, developed attack drones and ballistic missiles with a range of two thousand kilometers, and has begun to consider a nuclear program.

Its military intervention in Libya and Azerbaijan and its control of northern Syria reflect its expansionist ambitions.

The report concluded by pointing out that relations between Türkiye and Israel are still fragile, and the question now is whether Erdogan will move forward with his new expansionist vision, or whether he will maintain a strategic balance that prevents escalation to the level of direct military conflict.