Israeli headlines: “Erdogan’s drone army!” “Memories of the Ottoman Empire revived”
Yedioth Aronot wrote in his article “Erdogan Will Not Take Military Steps, But There Are Other Serious Concerns” that there are fears that Turkey may support or provide weapons to those fighting Israel.
Raising concerns in Tel Aviv, former Turkish ambassador Fini Abibi said Ankara could use its power at the UN, on the international stage or in NATO to harm Israel.
“I am more afraid of Turkey’s actions at the political level, not the military level as President Erdogan suggests, where Turkey is stronger,” Abibi said.
Yedioth Aronot reported that the Western silence on Erdogan’s remarks has disappointed Israel, with only Dutch far-right Geert Wilders to condemn the Turkish leader.
“Even in the Foreign Affairs corridor, they were very surprised.”
In a news article published by the business daily Globes entitled “Erdogan threatens invasion: what is behind this unusual message and Turkey’s military might?” and “Should we take Erdogan’s words seriously?” he asked:
Groves reminded that the Turkish government is a close friend of Hamas and commented that it was not surprising that President Erdogan attacked Israel, “but I was very surprised to hear President Erdogan’s words even in the corridors of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”
Globes emphasized that the Turkish leader made his remarks about Israel in his hometown of Rize, writing that Rize is not a coincidental place, and that his family roots are in this city. Turkiye expert Dr. Chay Eitan Cohen, in an interview with the newspaper, said that Erdogan’s words came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech in the US Congress, and that Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, who was publicly reprimanded by Turkey, will soon address the Turkish parliament.
Groves noted that the Turkish military, ranked eighth in the world, outperforms the Israeli military, ranked 17th, in many basic indicators, arguing that Israel is superior solely in terms of its air power, which is the F-35 fighter jets.
The headline of the news in Marib was “Because you take us seriously – How far will Erdogan’s threats come true?” When this happened, the paper carried on its front page the opinion of former Israeli ambassador to Turkey, Alon Liel. According to the former ambassador, Turkey could provide financial and military resources to the forces currently fighting Israel, and could also use its border with Egypt to support the Gaza Strip.
In an article titled “This is how Erdogan intervenes in the Middle East conflict,” Israel Hayom commented that the Turkish leader’s threat to invade Israel has boosted his confidence. The paper described Erdogan’s words as “unusual” and wrote that the Turkish leader is the commander-in-chief of one of the largest armies in the Middle East.
According to the newspaper, the most prominent element of the Turkish military, especially today, is the game-changing weapon “Erdogan’s ‘drone army'”. He noted that the Turkish military used armed unmanned aerial vehicles in the Syrian war, and that forces loyal to Libyan General Khalifa Haftar suffered advanced drone attacks with the support of the Turkish military. In a news story with the subheading “From Ukraine to Ethiopia”, the Bayraktar TB2 armed unmanned aerial vehicle manufactured by Baikal, the company of Erdogan’s son-in-law Selçuk Bayraktar, was described as the “flagship” and the Bayraktar TB2 was reported to have been sent from Ukraine. It was emphasized that for Ethiopia around the world, Ankara has become a mark of the conflict.
“Turkey’s aggressive stance in the Mediterranean basin and the Arab world is reviving memories of the Ottoman Empire,” Israel Hayom said.
