Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday that Turkey would not be deterred by “provocations, schemes and traps,” without mentioning Israel by name, as tensions between the two countries escalate over Ankara’s military presence in Syria.
“Those who think they can halt the sacred march of Turkey and the Turkish nation through provocations, schemes and traps are doomed to disappointment,” Erdogan wrote on X. “We neither stray from the path we know to be right, nor do we veer onto different roads due to someone else's provocations.”
Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
(Photo: AFP PHOTO / TURKISH PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE / HANDOUT)
Erdogan’s remarks come amid a sharp escalation in tensions between Israel and Turkey over Ankara’s growing role in Syria.
Last week, the Israeli Air Force struck the Abu al-Duhur air base in northwestern Syria after Israeli officials said Turkey was preparing to expand its military presence there. Israeli security officials said Ankara had considered deploying radar systems, air defenses and Turkish troops at the site, potentially restricting the Israeli Air Force’s freedom of operation over Syria.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later addressed the strike, saying Israel “will not tolerate a Turkish military buildup in Syria that threatens it.”
Netanyahu said Israel had conveyed a message to Ankara urging it not to proceed with the move and, when the warning went unheeded, “we made sure they understood the message better.”
Defense Minister Israel Katz also sharpened his rhetoric, warning Erdogan not to “drag Turkey into dangerous adventures in Syria” or test Israel’s determination to defend itself.
Turkey and Syria rejected Israel’s claims.
The Turkish Defense Ministry said no Turkish military delegation was at the Abu al-Duhur base at the time of the Israeli strike. It also stressed that Ankara would continue helping the government of Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa build its military capabilities.
Syrian authorities said there were no plans to establish a permanent Turkish base at Abu al-Duhur, though they acknowledged that Turkish officers had visited the facility as part of military cooperation between Ankara and Damascus.
The tensions have also become an issue in U.S. diplomatic efforts in the region.
U.S. envoy Tom Barrack has said Washington is working to establish a mechanism to prevent friction among Israel, Turkey and Syria. Senior Israeli and Syrian officials held U.S.-mediated talks in Jordan earlier this week that included discussions on ways to prevent tensions between Israel and Turkey from spilling over into Syria.
Erdogan made his remarks as Turkey marked the 955th anniversary of the Battle of Manzikert, the 1071 victory by the Seljuk Turks over the Byzantine Empire that is widely regarded in Turkey as having paved the way for Turkish settlement and rule in Anatolia.
In remarks marking the anniversary, Erdogan also reiterated his goal of achieving a “Turkey without terrorism” and a “region without terrorism,” saying his country has “no choice but to be strong and united.”