Berlin. Could Turkey actively intervene in the Middle East conflict? Erdogan’s army is considered powerful. Why would it be a threat to Israel?
Plans after rocket attack on Golan Heights site Israel The Retaliation against the Hezbollah militia. Another escalation of the Conflict in the Middle East is to be feared; especially if it should Türkiye intervene militarily.
That’s exactly what your president has Recep Tayyip Erdoğan threatened. What exactly he meant, however, remained unclear. Would Turkey be capable of this? How powerful is it their army?
Erdogan threatens Israel with military force: Türkiye is not a paper tiger
Israel’s response was not long in coming and was martial. Meanwhile, Turkey is it’s not a paper tiger. At the NATO It represents the largest army in Europe. Its troop strength is 355,000 soldiers, almost double armed forces.
Turkish President Erdogan threatens Israel.
©Getty Images | Burak Kara
The “GlobalFirepower” database has been providing ratings for almost 20 years – based on more than 60 criteria Firepower of the armies of more than 140 countries. The Turkish army is considered the eighth strongest in the world. In Western Europe, experts see them directly behind the British armed forces.
Read too: 75 years of NATO: Because of Putin, the alliance is more important than ever
Erdogan’s provocation: absurd comparison by Israel’s foreign minister
Turkish soldiers are considered professional. They are equipped with Western weapons and experienced in use. Over the years, the government has continually modernized the force. In February, it was even said that Turkey working on an aircraft carrier.
Even though Israel has a military power Turkey would be a serious threat; in the conventional arena, it is even more serious than arch-enemy Iran.
Read about it: Atomic bomb, drones and co: this is how powerful Israel’s military is
This seems very absurd first reaction from Tel Aviv. foreign minister Israel Katz wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that Erdogan is following in the footsteps of Saddam Hussein. “He should just remember what happened there and how it ended.”
Well, US troops invaded Iraq in 2003. drastic reaction O USA It is hard to imagine today. It would be a test for the Western alliance.
Turkey as a NATO partner: difficult and indispensable
First, the Americans would have a hard time forging a coalition of the willing. Second, Turkey is both literal and figurative a different caliber than Iraq has ever done. It also has its own arms industry. Thirdly, it is not an enemy, but a member of NATO. It protects the southeastern flank. Turkey is a difficult but indispensable partner. Fourthly, geography: the distance between Antalya and Tel Aviv is less than 700 kilometers as the crow flies.
One needs to pay close attention to what Erdogan actually said. “Just as we did in Nagorno-Karabakh entered, as we did in Libya “We will do the same to them,” he threatened at an event in Rize, on the Black Sea.
Middle East: Interference is not direct intervention
In the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Erdogan has supported Azerbaijan with drones. Military aid is also being provided to Libya. In plain language: Erdogan is raising the prospect of militarily arming Hamas or Hezbollah. That would be a interferencebut no direct military intervention.
Capital Inside by Jörg Quoos, Editor-in-Chief of the FUNKE Central Editorial Team
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The fact is: since the beginning of… Gaza War Relations between the two countries have deteriorated dramatically. Turkey is a real disruptor for Israel. Erdogan recently stated that his country no longer wanted to agree to cooperation between NATO and its partner Israel in the future.
Erdogan has it again and again Hamas courted. If Hamas leaders were forced to leave Qatar, Turkey would be a realistic alternative. In the past, Turkey would have taken over a mediator role fiancé. Today she is taking sides – against Israel.