Türkiye could ultimately “enter” Israel over the enduring conflict in the Gaza Strip between West Jerusalem and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned.
The president issued the threat on Sunday as he spoke during a rally of his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).
“We must be very strong so that Israel cannot strike Palestine,” Erdogan stated. “Just like we entered Karabakh and the way we entered Libya, maybe we'll do the same thing. There’s nothing we can’t do. We have to be strong.”
Türkiye’s leader referred to Ankara’s active participation in the Libyan civil war, as well as the recent hostilities in the Azerbaijani region of Karabakh. Baku, which emerged victorious in the conflict and regained control over the breakaway region, has been receiving support from both Israel and Türkiye, yet the purported direct participation of Ankara’s troops in the hostilities had not been reported before.
While Erdogan has long positioned himself as a major supporter of the Palestinian cause, he has abstained from threatening a direct invasion of Israel.
The hostile remarks come amid soaring tensions between Israel and the Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah. West Jerusalem and the group have been locked into low intensity warfare for months already in the wake of the Gaza conflict, yet now the situation risks spiraling into an all-out war.
Israel accused Lebanon-based Islamist group Hezbollah on Saturday of launching a rocket that landed on a football field in Israeli-occupied Syria’s Golan Heights. The projectile killed at least 12 teenagers and children, primarily of Syrian Druze origin, and wounded about 20 others. Hezbollah has strongly denied any involvement, claiming the location was actually hit by a malfunctioned Israeli Iron Dome interceptor missile.