Erdoğan says Turkey could use military force against Israel ‘just as we did in Libya and Karabakh’

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has suggested that Turkey might consider using military force against Israel if necessary, drawing comparisons to Turkey’s military interventions in Libya and Nagorno-Karabakh. 

Speaking in his hometown of Rize, Erdoğan emphasized Turkey’s need to demonstrate strength in response to Israel's military actions in Gaza.  

"If we are strong, Israel cannot [behave like this toward] Palestine. Just as we intervened in Karabakh and Libya, we can do the same to them. There would be no reason for not doing that," he remarked. The state-run Anadolu Agency (AA) omitted this part of the president’s speech in the version it disseminated to its subscribers. 

Erdoğan's remarks came as he highlighted the importance of Turkey’s strength to counteract Israel's military aggressions. “Who can guarantee that those who are razing Gaza today will not set their sights on Anatolia tomorrow?” he questioned. 

Turkey played a direct role in the Second Karabakh War between Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well as the civil war in Libya in 2020. It provided military advisory support and armed drones to Azerbaijan and the UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) in Libya. This support was pivotal in Azerbaijan’s decisive win against Armenia and in helping the GNA balance the scales against Khalifa Haftar forces.  

However, unlike the conflicts in Libya and Karabakh, there is no official authority inviting Turkey into the Israel-Palestine conflict. Additionally, Israel's advanced air defense systems present a significant challenge for Turkey’s drones compared to those in Libya, Armenia, or the Kurdish militant groups in Syria and Iraq. The effectiveness of these drones, which had been notable in the early stages of the Ukraine war as well, was diminished once Russia deployed more advanced air defense systems. 

Criticism of Netanyahu’s US Congress speech 

Erdoğan also criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to the US Congress, likening Netanyahu to Hitler, as he has done many times over the years.  

"This is exactly the Crusader mentality that is being revived. On one side, there are those in the House of Representatives applauding someone who is a Hitler imitator. But outside the House, thousands are condemning them. Seeing people applaud the murderer of 40,000 innocents makes us worried not just for humanity but for our future as well," Erdoğan stated.  

‘Mahmoud Abbas should apologize to us’ 

Erdoğan also addressed criticisms from opposition political parties, which called for the government to invite Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to Turkey to speak in the parliament.  

The president said that Abbas had been invited but did not come. "He should apologize to us for not coming. We are waiting to see if he will come. Regardless, we continue to voice the concerns of the Palestinian people and our Palestinian brothers in every meeting and gathering.” (VK)