Katz Warns Erdogan: ‘You’re Pulling Turkey Into Dangerous Adventures in Syria’

Defense Minister Israel Katz escalated his rhetoric Thursday morning against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, amid growing tensions between Jerusalem and Ankara following the Israeli strike on a military base in Syria and concerns over Turkey establishing a foothold in the country.

“Erdogan is pulling Turkey into dangerous adventures in Syria,” Katz said, making clear that Israel has a red line when it comes to potential threats from the neighboring country: “Israel will not allow any party to threaten its security.”

The defense minister also addressed the Turkish president’s forceful speeches against Israel: “Erdogan would be better off continuing to deliver fantasy-filled empty speeches against Israel in the Turkish parliament, rather than testing Israel’s determination to defend itself.”

The sharp remarks came two days after the Israeli strike on the Abu al-Duhur military airfield in Syria’s Idlib province, about 70 kilometers from the Turkish border. The attack damaged runways and hangars used to house aircraft. A Turkish delegation visited the site last week as part of efforts to rehabilitate the base.

The Prime Minister’s Office officially claimed responsibility for the strike and said it was carried out following the deployment of Turkish forces near the air base. Israeli officials said they had warned repeatedly against such a move and would not allow Turkey to place weapons in Syria that could threaten Israel, including drones and air-defense systems.

Katz’s warning is part of a series of messages issued over the past day by Israel’s political and military leadership regarding the Turkish presence in Syria. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that “we will not tolerate a Turkish military foothold in Syria that threatens Israel.”

In a statement released by the Prime Minister’s Office, it was said: “Israel and Syria agreed to preserve the security status quo, which Syria was about to violate by allowing Turkish forces to deploy at an air base near Aleppo. Israel repeatedly warned Syria that such a deployment would pose a threat to Israel’s security. Syria chose to ignore these warnings. Israel will not tolerate threats to its security and would welcome a return to the status quo.”

Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir also addressed the issue during a visit to southern Syria yesterday, warning: “We will not allow hostile forces to establish themselves along our borders.”