Middle East & North Africa
BREAKING: Netanyahu on Turkey: “I hope we do not reach a direct clash” – the “Muslim Brotherhood axis” led by Ankara
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Israeli reporters in Jerusalem that he hopes there will be no direct clash with Turkey, naming a “Muslim Brotherhood axis” led by Ankara alongside the Shiite axis led by Iran.
“I hope we do not reach a direct clash. At least, that is what I am trying to ensure. Without naming any specific country, we are taking all possibilities into account.” With these words Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu referred to Turkey, at a security briefing he gave a short time ago today, Sunday, October 18, to Israeli journalists in his Jerusalem office, according to a report by Israel National News, whose reporter was in the room.
According to the Times of Israel, Netanyahu admitted he has differences with US President Donald Trump over Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and described Israel’s efforts to stop Ankara from expanding its military presence in Syria. He also said Israel is preparing for various scenarios, and that it blocked a Turkish move to deploy more forces in Syria.
Two “axes” facing Israel
The briefing lasted about two hours and was Netanyahu’s first in-person security briefing with journalists since October 7, 2023. The Israeli prime minister named two axes as the region’s major challenges: the Shiite axis led by Iran and a “Muslim Brotherhood axis” led by Turkey. National Security Council head Shmuel Ben-Ezra was also present.
On Iran, Netanyahu repeated that toppling the regime remains the main goal. “The regime must fall and I will bring it down,” he said, arguing that “90% of the work has been done” and that, if necessary, Israel “will act alone”. He had made the same argument a few hours earlier on Fox News, saying Iran is building intercontinental missiles to reach the United States. On Lebanon he said the Lebanese army “has not shown sufficient capability” in disarming Hezbollah, and on Gaza that there will be no reconstruction before Hamas is disarmed.
The dispute with Ankara over Syria
The confrontation between Israel and Turkey has been intensifying for months over Syria, where Ankara backs the government in Damascus and seeks a military presence, while Israel has made the deployment of Turkish forces further south a red line. Two days ago Netanyahu described his call with Ahmed al-Sharaa as “very short and very blunt”. In Washington, Republican Senator Rick Scott accused Turkey of not behaving as a NATO ally. Netanyahu’s remarks come nine days before Israel’s parliamentary elections on October 27.