Erdogan Sends Warning to Israel: ‘Those Who Try to Stop Turkey Will Be Disappointed’

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent an indirect message to Israel today (Wednesday), making clear that his country would not be deterred by what he described as attempts to curb its growing strength through "provocations and plots."

Erdogan said: "We have made a decision to turn the region in which we live into a home of peace, security and stability." He later added: "Those who believe they can stop the blessed journey of Turkey and the Turkish people through provocations and plots are destined to be disappointed."

The remarks follow comments made yesterday by the Turkish president, when he attacked Israel: "The merchants of blood will lose, the opportunists who make a living from terrorism will lose, and the perpetrators of genocide who seek to drown our region in instability will lose." According to him, "the front of humanity will win, brotherhood will win, peace and stability will win."

The statements come as Ankara is also advancing legal measures against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior Israeli officials. Just this week, Turkey’s justice minister asked the Interior Ministry to issue an Interpol "red notice" against Netanyahu, to help advance his arrest internationally. The request concerns allegations related to the attack on the Sumud flotilla, genocide, and the commission of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The move is part of criminal proceedings being conducted in absentia at Istanbul’s High Criminal Court. The charges are connected to the armed interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla, which was headed to Gaza in international waters. The proceedings are based on a decision made on November 7, 2025, when arrest warrants were issued in Turkey against Netanyahu and 36 other Israeli officials, on suspicion of offenses attributed to activity in Gaza and the takeover of the flotilla. Earlier, on July 14, a Turkish court asked Interpol to issue a red notice against Netanyahu.

Also in the background is the military tension surrounding Syria. Last week, Israeli fighter jets struck a Syrian base located about 45 miles from the Turkish border, dropping at least eight bombs on its runways and hangars.

Yesterday, Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, addressed the circumstances that led to the strike. According to him, "Israel received clear intelligence indicating that Turkey intended to significantly expand its military presence in Syria."

Leiter stressed that Israel is not seeking a direct confrontation with Ankara, but said, "A red line was crossed. This was a Turkish move that blatantly violated the understandings that the status quo in Syria would be preserved. Those who needed to be exposed to the intelligence received it; we made clear that this was a violation of the understandings, and Israel was therefore forced to act."

Leiter added that "Israel is certainly open to dialogue with Ankara, but according to statements by senior officials in the country, they would prefer to erase us from the map." He also said that the Turkish move contradicted understandings reached during the Biden administration between Israel and the administration of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, which were intended to preserve the status quo in the country.