MİLLİYET.COM.TR / Israel's air strike in Syria turned the tension between Ankara and Tel Aviv into an open power struggle.
The eight attacks by Israeli warplanes on the Abu Zuhur Military Airport in the Idlib countryside in northwestern Syria gained a new dimension when Tel Aviv associated the attack with Turkey's military activities in Syria.
'IT'S NOT JUST THE SYRIA ATTACK'
The Israeli administration argued that Syria's military deployment to Turkey would violate existing security regulations. Ankara, on the other hand, rejected Israel's claims, described the reason for the attack as "baseless" and stated that Tel Aviv was trying to legitimize its attacks targeting Syria's sovereignty.
However, developments immediately following the attack showed that the issue was not limited to a military airport.
IS THERE AN ELECTION CALCULATOR BEHIND THE SCENES?
In the evaluations in Ankara, it was pointed out that behind Israel's escalation of tension with Türkiye, there were military calculations in Syria as well as Netanyahu's increasingly difficult political position before the election. In this very atmosphere, Turkey's increasing prominence in the Israeli discourse and Ankara's constant targeting in Tel Aviv lobbies is not interpreted as a coincidence.
SURVEY THAT FEARS NETANYAHU
As Israel prepares to go to the polls on October 27, a critical picture emerges for Netanyahu. According to the survey by Israeli state television KAN, Yashar Party, led by former Chief of General Staff Gadi Eisenkot, rose to first place with 24 seats, while Netanyahu's Likud Party remained at 23 seats. Eisenkot's party gaining one seat according to the previous survey was also cited as a critical development.
While the party led by Naftali Bennett ranked third with 14 seats, Yair Golan's Democratic Party maintained its prediction of 10 seats. Otzma Yehudit, led by Itamar Ben-Gvir, and Yisrael Beiteinu, led by Avigdor Lieberman, remained in 9 seats each.
While this picture reveals that the political alternatives against Netanyahu have become stronger, the political consequences of Netanyahu's emphasis on the security card before the election have also begun to be discussed.
In evaluations of the Israeli elections, the rise of former Chief of General Staff Eisenkot against Netanyahu attracted attention. Eisenkot's military background makes the election debate over security policies even more critical for Netanyahu.
'WE WILL NOT TOLERATE'
On the other hand, Netanyahu made one of his harshest statements against Turkey after the Syrian attack.
Netanyahu targeted Ankara, saying, "We will not tolerate the expansion of the Turkish military presence towards the south."
Claiming that they saw that Turkey intended to position itself at an airport near Aleppo, Netanyahu argued that Israel had given a message before, but this message was not taken into account.
Netanyahu said, "The message was conveyed, but apparently they did not hear it. So we helped them understand the message better."
This statement by Israel, which directly targets Turkey, also revealed how sensitive the military balances in Syria have become for Tel Aviv.
Because while Ankara has become one of the most important actors in the reconstruction process of Syria after the overthrow of the Assad regime, it continues its cooperation in the military and security fields with the new Damascus administration.
‘DANGEROUS ADVENTURES’
Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz also made harsh statements towards Turkey. Katz argued that Turkey was being dragged into "dangerous adventures" in Syria and said that Israel would not allow any actor to threaten its security.
Katz also targeted President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's statements regarding Israel in the Turkish Grand National Assembly.
These statements from Tel Aviv revealed that Israel no longer considers Turkey only as an actor in Syria, but as a direct rival that can change the regional balances.
'WE KNOW WHEN AND WHEN TO USE OUR POWER'
The statement of Israeli Chief of General Staff Eyal Zamir also attracted attention after the attack. Zamir said that they visited the Israeli-occupied region south of Damascus and closely followed the developments on the Syrian front.
"We will not allow enemy forces to deploy within our borders," said Zamir, adding, "We know exactly where and when to use our power."
This statement revealed that the Israeli army is closely monitoring Turkey's military presence in Syria and is making preparations for possible developments.
ISRAEL ALSO REACTED TO NETANYAHU
However, the Netanyahu government's Türkiye and Syria policy also creates controversy within Israel.
Israel Democrats Party leader Yair Golan described the Syrian attack as "a provocative and dangerous move that brings us closer to a conflict with Türkiye."
Golan argued that the attack brought Israel closer to the risk of confrontation with Türkiye and deepened the differences of opinion with allies, especially the USA.
What is even more striking is that Golan accused Netanyahu of using military power for political purposes.
This statement also came to the center of the debate within Israel: Is Netanyahu really eliminating the security threat, or is he playing the security card again before the election?
USA IS ALSO ON ALARM
The tension reached dangerous levels, prompting Washington to take action. US Ambassador to Ankara and Special Representative for Syria Tom Barrack said that Israel's attack carries the risk of dragging Israel, Türkiye and Syria into a direct military conflict.
While Barrack emphasized that Ankara acted prudently and prevented a possible conflict, it was reported that Washington was working on communication and de-escalation mechanisms to reduce tension between the three countries.
This situation shows that Israel's move towards Türkiye has reached a point that challenges not only the regional but also the US's calculations regarding the Syrian equation. While all this is happening, Netanyahu has not only the Syrian file in front of him, but also the ballot box on October 27.
WHAT HAPPENED?
Israeli warplanes targeted Abu Zuhur Military Airport, located in the east of Idlib province in northwestern Syria, on August 18.
It was reported that runways and hangars were hit in the attack and a total of 8 air strikes were carried out. No information was shared regarding any loss of life or injury.
Israel explained the reason for the operation as Syria providing the opportunity for military deployment to Turkey. The Syrian administration, on the other hand, stated that the airport was renovated to be used again for the Syrian Air Force and that Turkey has no plans to deploy military there. Ankara also rejected Israel's claims.
