Israel responded to statements made by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan that included veiled threats against Israel. Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz stated, "Erdoğan is following in the footsteps of Saddam Hussein and is threatening to attack Israel," adding in a tweet on "X," "Just let him remember what happened there and how it ended.” Katz accompanied his tweet with a composite image of Erdoğan and former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
On Sunday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stated that Turkey might enter Israel as it did previously in Libya and Nagorno-Karabakh, although he did not clarify the type of intervention he was referring to. Erdoğan made these remarks during a speech in which he praised his country's defense industry. He said at a meeting of the ruling Justice and Development Party in his hometown of Rize, "We must be very strong so that Israel cannot do these ridiculous things to Palestine. Just as we entered Nagorno-Karabakh and Libya, we might do something similar (with Israel)." Erdoğan added in a televised address, "There is no reason that prevents us from doing that... We must be strong enough to take these steps." Erdoğan was seemingly referring to 2020 when Turkey sent military forces to Libya to support the UN-recognized Government of National Accord.
