Turkey vs Israel latest news: Israel FM says ‘no intention’ to escalate with Turkey as Syria airbase strike raises tensions with Ankara
Story by Amreen Ahmad
August 23, 2026
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The Syrian state media claimed that on August 18 there were eight Israeli raids against Abu al-Duhur airbase and it is worth noting that according to reports, there were no casualties, though the base has suffered from damage. The raid took place in light of the reported visit to the base made by a Turkish delegation. As per Israel, Syria was on the verge of breaking a certain status quo agreement between the two countries.
“After several discussions that the prime minister and I held with the IDF and the various security officials, it was agreed that before approval was given, a direct warning would be issued to the Syrian regime at the highest levels in an attempt to prevent the move, and that is what was done,” Defense Minister Katz said.
“After the request went unanswered, the prime minister and I authorized the IDF to carry out the strike, and it was carried out successfully. Erdogan was caught with his hand in the cookie jar and was forced to back down,” Katz said.
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The dispute goes beyond just one base while Turkey is forging ahead with its security cooperation with Syria, Israel is keen on stopping anything that may be perceived as a threat to its security on its northern border.
Israel will not tolerate Turkey’s ‘dangerous adventures’ in Syria, Katz warns Erdogan “Erdogan is dragging Turkey into dangerous adventures in Syria. Israel will not allow any actor to threaten its security,” the defense minister wrote on X/Twitter.
BySHIR PERETS AUGUST 20, 2026 08:19 Updated: AUGUST 20, 2026 11:50 Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday not to test Israel’s determination to defend itself, accusing the Turkish leader of dragging his country into “dangerous adventures” in Syria.
“Erdogan is dragging Turkey into dangerous adventures in Syria. Israel will not allow any actor to threaten its security. Erdogan would be better off continuing to deliver empty, fantastical speeches against Israel in the Turkish parliament rather than testing Israel’s determination to defend itself,” Katz wrote on X/Twitter.
Katz issues veiled warning to Turkey as he meets Greek defense minister in Athens
Israel won’t allow the use of terror to undermine regional stability, Katz says; Greek counterpart says Athens to cooperate with Jerusalem on anti-drone tech, cybersecurity
Istanbul, Turkiye – Just hours after Israel launched strikes last week against Qatar – a United States-designated “major non-NATO ally” and one of Washington’s closest Gulf partners – pro-Israel commentators quickly shifted their attention to Turkiye.
In Washington, Michael Rubin, a senior fellow at the right-leaning American Enterprise Institute, suggested that Turkiye could be Israel’s next target and warned that it should not rely on its NATO membership for protection.
Israel accuses Turkey of hypocrisy over Cyprus cover Israel accuses Turkey of hypocrisy over Cyprus
Tuesday 11 August | 21:26
By James Morphakis
Israel’s Foreign Ministry accused Turkey of hypocrisy over its criticism of Israeli military operations, pointing to Turkey’s control of 36 per cent of Cyprus and its military presence in the region on Tuesday.
“Turkey has the audacity to criticise Israel. But what are the facts on the ground?” the ministry said in a social media post.
It said thousands of Turkish troops were stationed outside Turkey and that Ankara maintained military bases and outposts in Cyprus, Syria and Iraq.
The ministry said Turkey “occupies 36% of Cyprus, 5% of Syria and approximately 2,000 square kilometres of Iraq”.
The Israeli ministry contrasted Turkey’s military presence with its own deployment in Syria, saying Israel “temporarily controls 0.1 per cent of Syrian territory” in what it described as a “security zone” intended to “protect Israeli citizens”.
Israel’s captured the Golan Heights, a strategic plateau, from Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War and effectively annexed the territory in 1981.
The UN regards the territory as occupied and continues to support the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement, which established a UN monitored buffer zone between Israeli and Syrian forces.
Drawing strength from strong historical, cultural and social ties between the two respective nations dating back many centuries, Türkiye and Palestine have strong and multi-dimensional relations.Having maintained official relations with the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) since 1975, Türkiye was among the first countries to recognize the State of Palestine on the same day of its declaration in exile on 15 November 1988.Türkiye supports the international efforts aimed at achieving a just, comprehensive and lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through negotiations and based on established UN parameters for a two-state solution. In this context, it backs the establishment of an independent, sovereign and contiguous State of Palestine on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem its capital.Türkiye has been exerting every effort to further enhance and diversify the already excellent relations with the State of Palestine in many fields. Bilateral relations with Palestine are comprehensively addressed through high-level mutual visits and meetings of the Joint Committee established between the two countries. The first meeting of the Türkiye-Palestine Joint Committee, co-chaired by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, was held in Ankara on 25 October 2018, while the second meeting was convened in Ramallah on 24 May 2022.Türkiye is currently the top provider of humanitarian aid to Gaza, which is faced with a severe humanitarian crisis.
This article is the second in a two-part GIS series, “The UAE in focus.” Part one, by Giorgio Cafiero, explored the Emirati-Saudi rivalry.
Israel’s deployment of air defenses to the United Arab Emirates during the Iran war was a rare Middle Eastern security arrangement built without American brokerage. While the fate of the Iranian regime and Tehran’s nuclear ambitions remain unresolved in the war that began on February 28, defense collaboration between Israel and the UAE represents a turning point in regional geopolitics.
Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan will sign a joint defense agreement in Saudi Arabia on Friday, two regional sources with direct knowledge of the matter tells Reuters.
Riyadh is seeking to deepen security cooperation with key allies while warning of an expanding regional threat from Iran-backed groups.
Details of the agreement were not immediately available.
Saudi Arabia already has a defence cooperation agreement with Pakistan. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived in the kingdom Thursday, while Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan was due to arrive on Friday.
Retired, living in the Scottish Borders after living most of my life in cities in England. I can now indulge my interest in all aspects of living close to nature in a wild landscape. I live on what was once the Iapetus Ocean which took millions of years to travel from the Southern Hemisphere to here in the Northern Hemisphere. That set me thinking and questioning and seeking answers.
In 1998 I co-wrote Millennium Countdown (US)/ A Business Guide to the Year 2000 (UK) see https://www.abebooks.co.uk/products/isbn/9780749427917
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