ISTANBUL (AP) — An Israeli strike on a meeting of Hamas officials in Qatar has cast a cloud of growing concern across Turkey that it could be the next target.
Israel previously accused Turkey of allowing Hamas to plan attacks from its territory, as well as carrying out recruitment and fundraising.
Since Syrian rebels unseated Assad in December, rising tensions between Turkey and Israel have played out there.
Erdogan also may hope Washington would take a hard line against any Israeli military incursions.
The Qatar attack showed there was “no limit to what the Israeli government can do,” Unluhisarcikli said.
ISTANBUL (AP) — An Israeli strike on a Hamas officials’ meeting in Qatar has raised tensions in Turkey that it might be the next target.
Speaking on behalf of the Turkish Defense Ministry, Rear Adm. Israel would “further expand its reckless attacks, as it did in Qatar, and drag the entire region, including its own country, into disaster,” Zeki Akturk said Thursday in Ankara. “”.
Although Israel and Turkey were once close regional allies, their relationship soured in the late 2000s and has since fallen to an all-time low due to the conflict in Gaza, which was started by the Oct. Hamas-led assault in southern Israel on July 7, 2023. Following the overthrow of Bashar Assad’s regime last year, tensions have also increased as the two nations have fought for influence in Syria, their neighbor.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the president of Turkey, has long supported Hamas and the Palestinian cause. Since the beginning of the Gaza war, the Turkish president has used harsh language to denounce Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in particular, calling Netanyahu a Nazi like Adolf Hitler and accusing Israel of genocide.
Some Hamas officials have settled in Turkey, and others frequently travel there. Israel has previously charged Turkey with enabling Hamas to conduct recruitment and fundraising activities as well as attack planning from its territory.
The leaders of Qatar are close to Erdogan, and Turkey has close military and business relations with the emirate. He is scheduled to visit Qatar this weekend for a summit of Muslim and Arab leaders.
Ankara will undoubtedly be concerned about Israel’s unrestricted use of neighboring states’ airspace after Israel attacked the territory of Iran, Syria, Yemen, and now Qatar.
According to Serhat Suha Cubukcuoglu, director of Trends Research and Advisory’s Turkey program, “Israel’s ability to conduct strikes with seeming impunity, often avoiding regional air defenses and international norms, sets a precedent that deeply worries Ankara.”.
The attacks are part of a “broader Israeli strategy to create a fragmented buffer zone of weak or pacified states around it,” he continued, referring to Turkey.
Turkey is a more powerful military power.
Israel has also sparked debate about how far it will go in pursuing Hamas targets after going beyond an unimaginable line in attacking Qatar, a close U.S. ally that has been mediating ceasefire negotiations in Gaza.
Compared to Qatar, which has strong ties to the United States, Turkey appears to have more protection against Israeli attacks due to its membership in NATO.
With an armed forces that are second only to the United States, Turkey also has a far stronger military than the Gulf state. A. between NATO nations and a cutting-edge defense sector.
Turkey has increased its defenses as tensions rise. Erdogan declared a rise in missile production during Israel’s June attacks on Iran’s nuclear installations. He officially opened Turkey’s “Steel Dome” integrated air defense system last month, and he has expedited projects like the KAAN fifth-generation fighter.
While an Israeli airstrike on a NATO member’s territory would be “extremely unlikely,” Israeli agents could carry out small-scale bomb or gun attacks on possible Hamas targets in Turkey, according to Ozgur Unluhisarcikli, director of the German Marshall Fund in Ankara.
In contrast, Cubukcuoglu stated that the attack in Qatar might strengthen Ankara’s backing for Hamas.
“This speaks to Turkish concerns that Israel might eventually expand these operations into Turkish territory,” he said. According to the Turkish government, standing firm strengthens its position as a protector of Palestinian causes against Israeli aggression, while leaving Hamas now would diminish its regional influence. “”.
Syria may experience tensions.
Unluhisarcikli cautioned that the bigger threat might be in Syria, where he called Israel and Turkey “on a collision course,” while the focus is on tensions surrounding the war in Gaza and Turkey’s relations with Hamas. “.”.
He said it would be unrealistic to believe that attacking Turkish forces, allies, or proxies in Syria would be too drastic.
Tensions between Israel and Turkey have been on the rise since Syrian rebels overthrew Assad in December. The new interim administration has received support from Ankara, which has worked to increase its power, particularly in the military.
Israel is suspicious of the new administration. A U has been seized. N. -launched hundreds of airstrikes on Syrian military installations, patrolled a buffer zone in southern Syria, and portrayed itself as the defender of the Druze religious minority against the predominantly Sunni Muslim government in Damascus.
In an attempt to counter Turkey’s military presence in northern Cyprus, Israel may move closer to Greece and Greek Cypriots, escalating tensions that could also spread throughout the eastern Mediterranean.
Turkey uses both diplomacy and deterrence.
In order to prevent a direct conflict with Israel, Turkey seems to be attempting to defuse tensions in Syria through a combination of diplomatic and military deterrence.
In order to create a “de-escalation mechanism” in Syria, Turkish and Israeli officials met in April. Israeli strikes on a Syrian airbase that Turkey was allegedly preparing to use prompted the action. At the time, Netanyahu claimed that Turkish bases in Syria would pose a “danger to Israel.”. “.”.
A deal was signed last month between Ankara and Damascus for Turkey to advise and train Syria’s military forces.
Erdogan might also wish that Washington would oppose any Israeli military incursions with vigor.
Although Netanyahu has appealed to the U. A. In his confrontation with Turkey, President Donald Trump instead praised Erdogan for “taking over Syria” and urged Netanyahu to act “reasonably” when interacting with Turkey.
However, as demonstrated by the attack in Qatar, a close relationship with Washington does not always provide protection from Israel.
Unluhisarcikli stated that the attack in Qatar demonstrated that the Israeli government had “no limit to what it can do.”
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