Erdogan threatens Israel with military interference

"Just as we went into Nagorno-Karabakh, just as we went into Libya, we will do the same to them," Erdogan said at an event organized by his ruling AKP party in Rize on the Black Sea, referring to Israel. He was referring to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, where Erdogan supported the conflicting party Azerbaijan with drones, among other things. In the civil war in Libya, Ankara is supporting the internationally recognized government with military equipment and personnel.

In his speech, Erdogan praised the progress made in the Turkish defense industry and went on to say: "There is nothing we cannot do. We just have to be strong."

Since the beginning of the Gaza war, relations between Israel and Turkey have deteriorated drastically. Erdogan described the Islamist Hamas as a "liberation organization" and compared Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Adolf Hitler. In mid-July, Erdogan declared that his country would no longer agree to cooperation between NATO and its partner Israel in future until a sustainable peace was achieved in the Palestinian territories.