Benjamin Netanyahu's Office Labels Turkey's Erdogan an 'Antisemitic Dictator'
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office on Friday labeled Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan an “antisemitic dictator,” escalating a bitter diplomatic confrontation over regional security and a disputed military air base in northern Syria. Regional diplomats and political observers are watching the fallout closely as the sharp rhetoric follows Turkey’s push for an international arrest warrant against the Israeli leader.
Ankara Seeks Warrant Over Gaza Aid Flotilla as Air Base Dispute Intensifies
The diplomatic rupture deepened on Friday when Turkey announced it had sought an international arrest warrant for Netanyahu, accusing him of genocide regarding Israel‘s interception of a Gaza-bound aid flotilla.
Netanyahu’s office fired back with a scathing statement, asserting that Israel remains unimpressed by what it termed Turkish hypocrisy. “Erdogan is an antisemitic dictator who massacred Kurds, supports the massacre of the Hamas terrorist organisation, and oppresses his own people,” the statement declared, vowing that Israel will act forcefully against any regional destabilisation or security threats.
The hostility follows a strike earlier in the week in northern Syria. On Tuesday, Syrian authorities accused Israel of bombing a disused military air base near the northwestern city of Aleppo that has been out of service since 2012. Netanyahu later tacitly acknowledged the strike, claiming a Turkish military delegation had recently visited the site as part of an effort to reactivate the base.
Turkey denied having any military presence at the location. In an English-language statement, Ankara vowed to continue supporting Syrian sovereignty, while Netanyahu’s office accused Erdogan of attempting to extend his aggression into Syria.
