Turkey, Qatar and the Muslim Brotherhood, linked with Pakistani nuclear capability, are becoming a growing concern in the Middle East. Several observers warn that Turkey is preparing for war with Israel.
As the U.S. war reshapes the Middle East, Turkey is preparing for increased rivalry with Israel. Amid the unpredictability of President Trump’s Middle East policy, Turkey is calling for “regional ownership” and seeking new security pacts.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has presented Turkey as a mediator able to talk with everyone — Russia and Ukraine, the United States and Iran. While the Trump administration searches for a sustainable — and victorious — exit from its war with Iran, Turkey is preparing for a changed balance of power in the Middle East, including growing rivalry with Israel, and is pushing to build new security partnerships, according to the Washington Post.
The foreign ministers of Turkey, Pakistan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia met in connection with a diplomatic forum in the Turkish province of Antalya in mid-April to discuss regional issues, including the Iran war.
The ministers from the four countries also held two meetings in March as part of efforts to end the Iran war. Turkey, a neighbor of Iran, has been in close contact with the United States, Iran and mediator Pakistan.
Israel’s Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar said that Turkey could become Israel’s next major adversary in remarks reported by the Israeli outlet Srugim on May 18.
“If Turkey chooses the path of war against us, it will undoubtedly pay a very heavy price. Israel knows how to defend itself and how to hurt those who hurt the country.”
Zohar also claimed that President Erdoğan had said he would build an army to conquer Israel.
Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett warned in February, at a conference of major American Jewish organizations, that Turkey under President Erdoğan constitutes a new strategic threat to Israel.
He described Erdoğan as “a sophisticated and dangerous adversary who seeks to encircle Israel” and warned that the country must not “close its eyes again.”
Bennett highlighted what he described as a growing regional concern linking Turkey, Qatar and the Muslim Brotherhood with Pakistani nuclear capability, saying the alliance seeks to stir hostility against Israel, including influencing Saudi Arabia.
He further argued: “Turkey and Qatar are nourishing an Islamic Brotherhood monster that eventually might be as dangerous as the one created by Iran.”
and added: “Turkey is trying to flip Saudi Arabia against us and establish a hostile Sunni axis with nuclear Pakistan.”
Bennett emphasized the need for Israel to act simultaneously against threats from Tehran and Ankara.
A series of measures recently adopted by President Erdoğan’s government indicate that the country is preparing for a war-like scenario, marked by sweeping changes to military and civilian mobilization rules, expansion of logistical supply systems and an aggressive push to improve missile and drone capabilities, according to Nordic Monitor.
Although Ankara has not explicitly identified a specific adversary, growing evidence suggests that the Erdoğan government may be steering Turkey toward a potential military confrontation with Israel, possibly in the Syrian theater. These concerns are reinforced by increasingly aggressive rhetoric from senior officials and a notable shift in Turkey’s strategic doctrine, in which the Jewish state is now portrayed as a fundamental threat to national security.
