Just hours after Israel launched strikes against Qatar designated by the US as a major non-NATO ally and a close Gulf partner pro-Israel voices quickly shifted focus to Turkey. In Washington, Michael Rubin of the American Enterprise Institute warned that Turkey could be next target and cautioned against relying solely on NATO membership for protection.
On social media, Israeli academic Meir Masri stated, “Today Qatar, tomorrow Turkey,” provoking a sharp response from Ankara. A senior adviser to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan responded harshly, saying: “To the dog of Zionist Israel… soon the world will find peace with your erasure from the map.”
Pro Media have for months intensified their rhetoric against Turkey, labeling it “Israel’s most dangerous enemy.” Israeli commentators portray Turkey’s role in the eastern Mediterranean as a “threat” and its involvement in rebuilding post-war Syria as a “rising danger.”
Israel’s Next Target Turkey?
Amid escalating Israeli regional aggression and the ongoing Gaza war, Turkey retaliated in August by suspending economic and trade ties with Israel. Omer Ozkizilcik, Atlantic Council fellow, told that in Ankara, Israel’s rhetoric and actions are viewed seriously, seen as ambitions for regional hegemony backed by the US.
The Doha strikes also raised doubts in Turkey about US security guarantees through NATO. Despite Qatar’s close ties with Washington, Israel faced no significant US pushback, fueling concerns over whether attacks on Turkey would elicit NATO support as promised in the alliance charter.
Unlike many Arab countries, Turkey recognizes it cannot fully depend on the US or NATO for its national security. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu openly supports “Greater Israel” ambitions, envisioning dominance across the Middle East a vision conflicting directly with Turkey’s regional interests.
Turkey’s foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, said “Greater Israel” plan seeks to “keep countries in the region weak and divided,” a strategic goal viewed in Ankara as threatening regional stability and Turkish influence.
