Israel Says It Does Not Want War With Turkey, But ‘Red Line’ Was Crossed

JERUSALEM — Israel does not want a war with Turkey or Syria, but a “red line” was crossed, Israel’s ambassador to the United States Mike Huckabee said, as tensions between the two countries deepen over military activity in Syria.

Huckabee said Israel had received “clear intelligence” that Turkey was preparing to significantly expand its military presence in Syria before Israel struck the Abu al-Duhur airbase.

“We are certainly open to dialogue with Turkey,” Huckabee said, adding that Israel wanted to avoid a direct military confrontation with Ankara.

But he accused Turkey of maintaining a deeply hostile position towards Israel, saying Ankara preferred to “wipe Israel off the map.”

Huckabee said the intelligence received by Israel indicated that Turkey was preparing to expand its military footprint in Syria, which Israeli officials viewed as a potential threat to their security.

Israel subsequently carried out a strike on the Abu al-Duhur airbase, according to the account cited by the ambassador.

The comments come amid growing friction between Israel and Turkey over developments in Syria, where Ankara has maintained a significant military presence and sought to expand its influence since the fall of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.

Israel has repeatedly said it will act against military deployments in Syria that it considers a threat to its security. Turkey, meanwhile, has strongly opposed Israeli military actions in the country.

The two countries have also sharply diverged over Israel’s war in Gaza, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan frequently condemning Israeli military operations and calling for an end to the conflict.

Huckabee said Israel remained willing to engage with Turkey diplomatically despite the widening disagreements.

“We are certainly open to dialogue with Turkey,” he said, while arguing that Ankara’s stated position towards Israel made such dialogue difficult.

His remarks underscore the risk of a confrontation between two regional powers whose forces and interests increasingly overlap in Syria.

Israel and Turkey have both sought to shape the post-war security landscape in Syria, raising concerns that competing military deployments could lead to further clashes.

Despite the tensions, Huckabee said Israel was not seeking a direct war with Turkey, but maintained that Israel would respond when it believed its security interests had been threatened.

GAROWE ONLINE