Statements made by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan yesterday, in which he mentioned that "Turkey may enter Israel, just as it previously did in Libya and Karabakh," sparked widespread reactions in Israel and ignited a Twitter war between officials from both countries. Following Erdoğan's threat to enter Israel—without specifying the nature of the intervention—Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz responded to Erdoğan's comments via a tweet on the platform 'X,' stating, "Erdoğan is following in Saddam Hussein's footsteps and is threatening to attack Israel." Katz added in his tweet, "Just let him remember what happened there and how it ended." He attached a modified image that combined Erdoğan with former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
Erdoğan's statements were made during a meeting of the ruling Justice and Development Party in his hometown of Rize, where he said, "We must be very strong so that Israel cannot do these ridiculous things for Palestine." He continued in his televised speech, "There is no reason for us not to do that; we must be strong so that we can take these steps."
Reactions concerning Erdoğan's remarks did not stop with the Israeli Foreign Minister. Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid posted on 'X' that "Israel will not accept threats from a dictator, and the world, especially NATO members, must strongly condemn his outrageous threats against Israel and force him to end his support for Hamas."
In response to the Israeli reactions, Turkey's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement comparing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to "Nazi leader Adolf Hitler." The Anadolu News Agency reported that the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, "Just as the perpetrator of the genocide, Hitler, met his end, so will the perpetrator of genocide, Netanyahu," emphasizing that "humanity will stand by the Palestinians." The Turkish Foreign Ministry added, "You will not be able to exterminate them," referring to the Palestinians, clarifying that "just as Nazis who committed collective crimes were held accountable, so too will those who seek to exterminate the Palestinians."
The Jerusalem Post noted that Erdoğan's threats about entering Israel come amid a dramatic escalation in the ongoing nine-month war between the Israeli army and Hezbollah. The range of reactions extended beyond Israel and Turkey, as Dutch MP Geert Wilders—a far-right figure known for his anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant stance—called for "Turkey's expulsion from NATO" due to Erdoğan's comments. He wrote on the platform 'X': "Islamo-fascist Erdoğan is threatening to invade Israel; this man is completely insane, Turkey must be expelled from NATO."
