“Erdogan is dragging Turkey into dangerous adventures in Syria,” Katz wrote on X.
By United with Israel Staff
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz issued a sharp warning to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday over Ankara’s activities in Syria, prompting Turkey to respond that it would continue supporting the development of Syria’s military capabilities.
“Erdogan is dragging Turkey into dangerous adventures in Syria,” Katz wrote on X. “Israel will not allow any actor to threaten its security.”
Katz also warned Erdogan against testing Israel’s determination to defend itself, escalating an increasingly public confrontation between Jerusalem and Ankara over Turkey’s military role in Syria.
Turkey’s Defense Ministry responded defiantly, saying Ankara had no intention of backing away from its military cooperation with Damascus.
“We will resolutely continue our efforts to protect Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and we will continue to support Syria’s efforts to develop its military capabilities,” the ministry said.
The exchange follows Israel’s airstrikes Tuesday on the Abu al-Duhur Airbase in northwestern Syria, which Israel later acknowledged carrying out over what it said was an impending Turkish military deployment at the facility. Syria and Turkey have denied that such a deployment was planned.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reinforced Israel’s position in a video statement Wednesday.
“We will not tolerate a Turkish military buildup in Syria that threatens Israel,” Netanyahu said. “We made the message clear: ‘Don’t.’ Apparently they didn’t hear it well enough, so we made sure they understood it better.”
The Prime Minister’s Office had previously said Israel and Syria agreed to maintain a security status quo, but that Damascus was on the verge of breaching it by permitting Turkish forces to deploy at an airbase near Aleppo. Israel said Syria ignored repeated warnings that such a deployment would threaten Israeli security.
Turkey has rejected Israel’s account. Ankara said Wednesday that Israel’s allegations were “untenable” and intended to legitimize its strikes, while pledging to continue cooperating with the Syrian government.
Syria has also denied plans for a Turkish military buildup at Abu al-Duhur. Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said Turkish officers had visited the facility as part of training and military cooperation, but maintained that the base was being rehabilitated for the Syrian Air Force and would remain under Syrian control.
Despite the escalating rhetoric, direct contacts between Israel and Syria have taken place over the issue. Reuters reported that Mossad chief Roman Gofman spoke with al-Shaibani on Aug. 14, days before the strike, with Turkey’s military presence among the issues discussed.
Washington has sought to prevent the tensions from developing into a direct Israeli-Turkish confrontation. U.S. envoy Tom Barrack criticized the Israeli strike as an “unnecessary escalation” and said the United States was working on a mechanism to reduce the risk of military friction between Israel, Turkey and Syria
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