Erdogan said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was “blinded by blood and hatred” and threatened possible military steps, citing Turkey's operations in Libya and Karabakh as examples of preliminary interventions.
The media draws attention to the fact that the statement was made against the backdrop of a sharp escalation in diplomatic rhetoric between the countries after the conflict in the Middle East, in particular, the fighting in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip.
In addition, Ankara previously brought charges against 35 Israeli officials for war crimes and crimes against humanity, demanding a total of more than 4.5 thousand years in prison for them.
In response, Israel sharply criticized the statements of Ankara and Erdogan personally. In particular, the corresponding message on the social network X was published by Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir.
“Erdogan, do you understand English? Fuck you [F…ck you]”, the official wrote.
Context
For the first time, the Turkish parliament sent troops of the republic to Libya in January 2020 due to “risks and threats coming from Libya for the entire region, in particular Turkey,” the Anadol agency reported. In the fall of 2023, the Turkish Parliament extended the mandate of its military in Libya for 24 months from January 2, 2024.
In addition, as Interfax-Azerbaijan reported, in the fall of 2023, the Turkish Majlis decided to extend the mandate for the presence of its military personnel in Azerbaijan at the joint Turkish-Russian monitoring center in Agdam. It was deployed at the end of 2021 “to monitor the ceasefire in the Karabakh military conflict zone.” The signed memorandum stated that the continuation of the service of the Turkish Armed Forces corresponds to Turkey’s “constructive role” in the region.
On October 7, 2023, Hamas militants launched a massive rocket attack on southern and central Israel, invaded the country, killed hundreds of civilians and took hostages. Israel responded by launching a counter-terrorism operation and then a ground operation in the Gaza Strip.
On October 25, Erdogan called Hamas “freedom fighters” and condemned Israel for its “bloody and brutal attack” on the Gaza Strip.
