ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Turkey's foreign ministry late Saturday condemned Israeli statements targeting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as a diplomatic dispute intensified following Israeli airstrikes on a Syrian airbase where Ankara was allegedly planning to deploy forces.
"The lies and slanders targeting President Erdogan in the statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel reflect the cowardly and corrupt mindset of the criminals within the Israeli government, foremost among them [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu," the Turkish ministry said in an overnight statement.
The diplomatic row follows Israeli airstrikes earlier this month on the Abu al-Duhur airbase in northwestern Syria, which triggered a sharp exchange between Israel and Turkey over Ankara's growing footprint in Syria following the fall of longtime Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad.
Israel claimed Turkey was planning to deploy forces to the airbase, viewing such a move as a threat to its security.
In its latest statement, the Turkish foreign ministry accused the Israeli government of maintaining a "cowardly and corrupt mindset," claiming that "Netanyahu and his criminal network are witnessing their impunity collapse both legally and politically."
The ministry said that under Erdogan, Turkey would "continue to defend and speak the truth."
The Israeli foreign ministry had earlier Saturday posted on X that "the antisemitic Erdogan seeks, every few days, to reach new heights of wild incitement against the Jewish state."
The Israeli statement further characterized the Turkish president's actions by alleging, "Erdogan has destroyed Turkish democracy, imprisoned his political opponents, hosted and supported the Hamas terrorist organization, and invaded neighboring countries."
The post concluded that by spreading "false blood libels," the Turkish leader was attempting to distract from his domestic and regional policies.
Senior Syrian and Israeli officials held a US-mediated meeting in Jordan last Sunday. According to Syrian state media, the talks were aimed at de-escalating tensions following the strikes and growing friction between Israel and Turkey.
The talks brought together a Syrian delegation headed by Foreign Minister Asaad Shaibani and a high-level Israeli team led by Mossad chief Roman Gofman, according to Axios.
Discussions focused on halting Israeli military operations in Syria, reviving a previous security agreement and preventing Israeli-Turkish tensions from spilling into Syrian territory.
Damascus stressed its sovereign right to determine its alliances and rebuild its military, while calling for Israeli forces to withdraw to positions held before Assad's ouster in December 2024 and for the full implementation of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement.
Following the strikes, Netanyahu issued a direct warning on X, stating, "We will not tolerate a Turkish military entrenchment in Syria that threatens Israel,” adding, "We made the message perfectly clear: Don't. Apparently, they didn't hear it well enough, so we made sure they understood it better."
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz echoed the warning, posting in Turkish on X that Israel would not allow any actor to threaten its security.
Katz warned that "it would be better for Erdogan to continue his detached-from-reality, delusional rhetoric... rather than attempting to test Israel's resolve to defend itself."
