Israel Turkiye conflict 2025: When Israeli warplanes struck targets in Qatar last week, the reaction in Ankara was swift and unusually sharp.

Turkiye, watching closely as one of the United States’ closest Gulf allies came under attack with no visible American pushback, saw more than just another regional escalation. It saw a warning.

Israel’s Strike on Qatar Raises Alarm in Ankara

Shortly after the strikes, Meir Masri, an Israeli academic and political figure, wrote on social media, “Today Qatar, tomorrow Turkey,” as quoted in a report. In Washington, Michael Rubin, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, echoed the sentiment, suggesting Turkiye could be Israel’s next target and warned that its NATO membership might not protect it, as per an Al Jazeera report.

For months, pro-Israel media outlets have been portraying Turkiye as “Israel’s most dangerous enemy,” citing its presence in the eastern Mediterranean and its involvement in post-war Syria as growing threats, as per the report.

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Turkish Leadership Issues Strong Response to Israeli Threats

A senior adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan responded with strikingly harsh words, “To the dog of Zionist Israel … soon the world will find peace with your erasure from the map," as quoted in the report.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan responded in August by suspending economic and trade ties with Israel, as Israel’s regional aggression was escalating and its war on Gaza showed no sign of ending, as reported by Al Jazeera.

Turkey Questions US and NATO’s Commitment After Qatar Attack

Omer Ozkizilcik, non-resident fellow at the Atlantic Council said, “In Ankara, this [anti-Turkish] rhetoric is taken seriously, with Israel seen as seeking regional hegemony," adding, “Turkiye increasingly feels that Israeli aggression has no limits and enjoys American support,” as quoted in the report.

The attack on Qatar reinforced Ankara’s doubts about US security guarantees as a NATO ally, according to Al Jazeera. If Israel could strike Doha, despite its status as a “major non-NATO ally” of Washington, could Turkiye really expect support if it were next?

Ozkizilcik pointed out that, unlike many Arab states, however, “Turkiye has long ago understood that it cannot rely on the US or NATO for its own national security interests,” as quoted in the Al Jazeera report.

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Netanyahu’s “Greater Israel” Vision Raises Alarms in Ankara

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has openly embraced the idea of a “Greater Israel”; when asked in August whether he believed in the concept, he replied, “Absolutely”, as per the report.

For Ankara, this rhetoric signals more than just symbolism. It points to a vision of regional dominance that directly clashes with Turkiye’s own regional ambitions, as per Al Jazeera.

On Sunday, Fidan told Al Jazeera that the “Greater Israel” idea, believed by some religious Zionists to extend into Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, and Jordan, is designed to “keep the countries in the region weak, ineffective, and especially to leave Israel’s neighbouring states divided," as quoted in the report.

In the past few weeks alone, Israel has attacked Yemen, Syria, and Tunisia, on top of its continuing war on Gaza and near-daily raids in the occupied West Bank.

Turkey and Israel Locked in Intensifying Geopolitical Rivalry

Turkiye and Israel are now locked in a “geopolitical rivalry”, pointed out Ozkizilcik, and added that Israel’s actions clashed with what the analyst views as the “Turkish agenda to have strong [centralised] states” rather than decentralised states where multiple forces can hold power, as reported by Al Jazeera.

FAQs

Why is Turkiye worried about Israel after the Qatar strikes?
Because Israel attacked Qatar, a close US ally, without US pushback, Turkiye fears it could be next and doubts NATO will protect it.

Why has Turkiye suspended trade ties with Israel?
Turkey suspended economic and trade ties in response to Israel’s escalating regional aggression and the ongoing war on Gaza.