Summary

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Monday that Israel was seeking a new enemy and could soon set its sights on Turkey, remarks that came just a day after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sharply escalated rhetoric by threatening possible military action against the Jewish state. "After Iran, Israel cannot live without hostility," Fidan said during an extensive interview with the Turkish state-run news agency Anadolu. The Turkish minister accused Jerusalem of fostering "a new rhetoric" to justify its aggression in the region and declare Turkey an enemy. The official further argued that this trend extended “not only to Netanyahu’s administration” but also “to certain figures within the Israeli opposition,” though he did not specify whom he was referring to. While Israeli politicians have voiced differing views on the war with Iran and have criticized the government’s conduct, the vast majority of decision-makers across the political spectrum have expressed support for the war, with most criticism focusing on Israel not fully achieving the goals it set out at the outset. Fidan warned that Israeli military activity could next extend to Syria, where the IDF operated last year, in what it said were efforts to protect the Druze minority in the south. He cautioned that such actions could create broader “risks” across the region. “Because of the ongoing war in Iran, [Israel] is not doing certain things right now,” he said. “Later, when the time comes, it may want to act.” Turkey escalates rhetoric amid growing regional ambitions Fidan's comments follow remarks made on Sunday by Erdogan, suggesting that Ankara could soon choose to engage militarily with Israel. Addressing the International Asia-Political Parties Conference in Istanbul, the Turkish president accused Israel of committing atrocities against Palestine and Lebanon before suggesting Ankara could choose to invade Israel. "We must be strong to prevent Israel from doing this to Palestine," he said. "Just as we entered Karabakh, just as we entered Libya, we will do the same to them." The escalating rhetoric comes amid a recent decision by a Turkish court to indict Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and 35 other Israeli officials for their role in the naval interception of the October 2025 “Sumud” Gaza flotilla. According to Ben Menachem, a researcher at the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, Erdogan may be seeking to establish a new Sunni bloc in the Middle East while positioning Turkey as a regional power, effectively trying to fill a potential vacuum caused by the weakening of the Iranian regime. Earlier this year, Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Saudi Arabia, underscoring deepening ties between the Sunni-majority powers and highlighting the expanding regional ambitions of both Ankara and Riyadh. Maariv online contributed to this report.