"Erdogan, don't test us" - Tensions rise between Israel and Turkey

2026-08-20 09:41:00Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX

"Erdogan, don't test us" - Tensions rise between Israel and

Tensions between Turkey and Israel appear to be escalating over Syria.

In a post on X, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is "dragging Turkey into dangerous adventures in Syria" and that his country will "not allow any entity to threaten its security."

"It would be better for Erdogan to continue making empty and fanciful speeches against Israel in the Turkish parliament and not test Israel's resolve to defend itself," Katz said.

Turkey categorically rejected what it called "baseless accusations" from Israel regarding its military presence in Syria, after Israel bombed a Syrian air base near the Turkish border and said Syria was on the verge of allowing Turkish troops to be stationed there.

Syrian Foreign Minister Assad al-Shaibani also responded to the Israeli accusations. Shaibani denied to Axios that there were any plans to deploy Turkish forces to an air base in Syria that Israel bombed this week, adding that Damascus had informed Tel Aviv of this before the attack.

"There was no Turkish military presence at the base in any sense that would justify such an interpretation. The base was, in fact, largely empty. It had not yet been fully restored or put into full operation, and the work there was still in the restoration phase," he said.

The Syrian Foreign Minister acknowledged, however, that Turkish army officers visited the Abu Duhur base a few days before the raids, as part of what he described as “continuous military cooperation in the areas of training and exchange of expertise.”


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