In a recent interview with Newsweek, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Israel of pushing a false narrative that seeks to depict his nation as a threat to the fellow U.S. ally and the region as a whole. Against the backdrop of increasingly heated rhetoric exchanged between Israeli and Turkish officials, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's branding of Erdogan as a "tyrant" complicit in seeking Israel's destruction, expanding influence in Syria and repressing journalists and the Kurdish minority community at his United Nations General Assembly address, Erdogan stated that it is "well known that we have serious differences of opinion with the Israeli government on many issues." The scope and intensity of these differences appear to be expanding as Erdogan and Netanyahu pursue rival strategies in the Middle East and beyond. And yet the Turkish leader emphasized that it was not Ankara that was looking to stir up trouble.
"Recently, a misguided narrative aimed at portraying Türkiye as a new source of threat has been fueled in Israel," Erdogan said. "We consider this rhetoric to be linked to Israel’s domestic political dynamics and the electoral climate." "We do not view this rhetoric as a responsible approach that fosters regional peace," he added. "Türkiye has no hostility toward the Israeli people or toward any other society.
What we oppose are policies that we consider contrary to international law and steps that deepen instability in our region." Newsweek Members can read the exclusive interview in full. Perhaps the most tangible manifestation of growing tensions between Israel and Turkey has emerged in their shared neighbor of Syria. Erdogan was an early supporter of the new administration established by Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa following the rapid rebel offensive that toppled his longtime predecessor, Bashar al-Assad.
Erdogan's influence has also played a key role in President Donald Trump's embrace of the former militant chief presiding over Damascus, with Trump crediting Erdogan with having a direct hand in Assad's ouster. Netanyahu also initially welcomed the downfall of Assad, a close ally of Iran. But the Israeli premier quickly channeled uncertainties about Sharaa's jihadi past, ordering a massive bombing of Syrian military sites and the seizure of new territory beyond the ceasefire line established in the Israel-occupied Golan Heights half a century ago.
Israel has continued to maintain a hand in Syrian affairs, particularly in the country's southwest, where a prominent faction within Syria's Druze minority has welcomed Israeli support against the central government. But the White House criticized Israeli strikes in support of Druze militias last year; a new operation carried out by Israeli warplanes last month brought the conflict even closer to Turkey. Just hours after a Turkish military delegation reportedly departed the Abu al-Duhur Air Base in the northern province of Idlib, Israeli strikes pounded the site.
Israeli officials accused Syrian counterparts of violating understandings regarding the presence of foreign powers in the country, while the Turkish government hit back with a harsh condemnation. Since then, a spat of explosions with no readily identified cause have struck arms depots across the country, the most recent taking place in Aleppo last week. "Our approach to Syria is clear," Erdogan said.
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