And Erdogan has made it clear that he would love to do so, and that he considers territories that the Ottoman Empire once ruled to belong by right to Turkey today.
Whether he will act upon this with a direct attack on Israel is unlikely, but Israel is certainly on his wish list.
“Turkey Threatens: Capable of Invading Tel Aviv Within 72 Hours,” - Maakav:
A serious threat was heard yesterday from Turkey when Hakan Bayrakci, head of the “Sonar” research institute, declared during an interview on Turkish television that the Turkish army is capable of invading Tel Aviv within 72 hours.
The harsh statement surprised even the interviewer, journalist Ahmet Hakan, who reacted with astonishment and said to Bayrakci: “Leave it, brother, don’t say that”.
Later in the interview, Bayrakci tried to calm the situation, but repeated the surprising claim. “I don’t want confrontations, I would never want such a headache, but here – perhaps people won’t believe me – the Turkish army is capable of penetrating Tel Aviv within 72 hours,” he said. These statements come at a time when relations between Israel and Turkey are in ongoing tension, especially in light of the war in the Gaza Strip.
This exceptional Turkish threat comes against the backdrop of reports about contacts precisely aimed at improving coordination between the countries. The “Middle East Eye” website reported yesterday that Israel and Turkey are conducting direct talks in an attempt to establish a permanent military coordination channel in Syria, aimed at preventing friction and military escalation between the two countries.
The site also reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made it clear to security officials that Israel has a “short window of opportunity” to act against bases in Syria before Turkey takes control of them and places its systems there. This information indicates that Israel is concerned about the strengthening of the Turkish presence in Syria and the possibility that this will limit Israel’s freedom of operation in the region.
The “Sonar” research institute headed by Bayrakci is considered an influential body in Turkey, although it has no official authority in making security or military decisions in the country. Nevertheless, the harsh statements made by Bayrakci reflect the mood in certain parts of the Turkish discourse towards Israel.
Photo: Reuters