Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office on Friday branded Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan an “antisemitic dictator” and vowed that Israel would act forcefully against what it described as Ankara’s efforts to destabilise the region.
The sharp remarks come amid growing tensions between Israel and Turkey over Syria, following an Israeli strike on a disused military air base near Aleppo and Turkey’s accusations against Israel over its actions linked to Gaza.
Netanyahu office attacks Erdogan
In a strongly worded statement, Netanyahu’s office accused Erdogan of hypocrisy and alleged that the Turkish president supports Hamas and has oppressed his own population.
“Israel has long been unimpressed by Turkey’s hypocrisy. Erdogan is an antisemitic dictator who massacred Kurds, supports the massacre of the Hamas terrorist organisation, and oppresses his own people,” the statement said.
Israel also warned that it would continue taking action against what it considers threats from Turkey.
“Israel will continue to act forcefully against Turkey’s attempts to destabilise the region and against any threat to its security,” Netanyahu’s office said.
Dispute over Syrian military base
The latest escalation follows Syria’s accusation that Israel struck a former military air base near Aleppo on Tuesday. The facility, which was damaged during Syria’s civil war, has reportedly been out of service since 2012.
Israel said a Turkish military delegation had recently visited the site, amid reports that Ankara could seek to establish a military presence there. Turkey has denied having any military presence at the base.
A Syrian war monitor said the visit was linked to possible efforts to reactivate the facility.
Turkey has rejected the allegations and reiterated its support for Syria’s sovereignty.
Turkey seeks arrest warrant for Netanyahu
The confrontation has also widened over Gaza.
Turkey announced on Friday that it had sought an international arrest warrant for Netanyahu, accusing the Israeli prime minister of “genocide” in connection with Israel’s interception of an aid flotilla bound for Gaza.
Netanyahu’s office, meanwhile, accused Erdogan of attempting to extend what it called his “aggression against Israel” into Syria.
“Israel will not tolerate it,” the statement said.
US caught between Israel and Turkey
The worsening dispute comes as Washington works to prevent further escalation between its two regional partners.
The United States has been working on a mechanism aimed at reducing the risk of clashes between Turkey, Israel and Syria, as tensions over military activity in Syria continue to rise.
The latest exchange of accusations underscores the increasingly complicated regional dynamics, with Israel and Turkey taking sharply opposing positions over Syria, Gaza and the role of armed groups in the region.