Netanyahu brands Türkiye’s Erdoğan an ‘antisemitic dictator’ amid rising tensions between Israel and Türkiye

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday (Aug 21) branded Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan an “antisemitic dictator” and vowed that Israel would “continue to act forcefully” against what it described as Türkiye’s efforts to destabilise the region.

The statement came days after Syria accused Israel of carrying out an airstrike on a disused military base in northern Syria, near the Turkish border. Netanyahu later appeared to acknowledge the strike.

Netanyahu had claimed that Erdogan was seeking to establish a military presence at the base, while Türkiye denied that any such visit had taken place.

The latest escalation also followed Türkiye’s announcement on Friday that it had sought an international arrest warrant for Netanyahu, accusing him of genocide over Israel’s interception of an aid flotilla bound for Gaza.

In a statement, Netanyahu’s office accused Erdogan of hypocrisy, alleging that the Turkish leader had “massacred Kurds,” supported Hamas and oppressed his own people.

It further said Israel would continue to take strong action against Türkiye’s efforts to destabilise the region and against any threat to Israeli security.

Syria on Tuesday accused Israel of striking the abandoned military air base near Aleppo, which was damaged during the country’s civil war and has been out of service since 2012. Israel said a Turkish military delegation had recently visited the facility, while a Syrian war monitor reported that the visit was linked to efforts to reactivate the base.

Türkiye rejected the claims on Thursday, saying it had no military presence at the site and would continue to firmly support Syria’s sovereignty.

In a separate English-language statement on Friday, Netanyahu’s office accused Erdogan of attempting to “extend his aggression against Israel into Syria,” adding that Israel would not tolerate such actions.