ISTANBUL, Sep 14: An Israeli strike on a meeting of Hamas officials in Qatar has raised concerns in Turkey that it could be the next target.
The Turkish Defence Ministry warned that Israel would “further expand its reckless attacks, as it did in Qatar, and drag the entire region, including its own country, into disaster.”
Tensions between Israel and Turkiye have risen as the two countries compete for influence in neighboring Syria since the fall of Bashar Assad’s government last year.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been a long-standing supporter of the Palestinian cause and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Turkey has superior military might, with its armed forces second in size only to the US among NATO countries and an advanced defense industry.
As tensions rise, Turkey has boosted its defenses, such as increasing missile production and launching projects such as the KAAN fifth-generation fighter.
An Israeli airstrike on the territory of a NATO member would be “extremely unlikely,” but small-scale bomb or gun attacks on potential Hamas targets in Turkiye by Israeli agents could be a distinct possibility.
Tensions could also spill into the wider eastern Mediterranean, with Israel potentially drawing closer to Greece and Greek Cypriots to challenge Turkey’s military presence in northern Cyprus.
Turkey appears to be pursuing a mixture of military deterrence and diplomacy in Syria aimed at defusing tensions to avoid a direct conflict with Israel. (AP)
