Netanyahu casts Turkey as Israel’s new villain amid tough re-election fight

The Israeli PM has escalated tensions with Turkish President Erdogan over Syria in a bid to ‘unify’ his voter base around him

After more than two years of taking on Israel’s enemies across the Middle East, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, facing a tough re-election fight, is zeroing in on another perceived villain – Turkey.

On Tuesday, warplanes bombed a base in northern Syria a short drive from the Turkish border.

Netanyahu said Turkey was looking to establish a military presence there and that, after it ignored Israel’s warnings: “We made sure they understood it more clearly.”

Heading into the October 27 election, Netanyahu’s campaign has put up billboards with images of several leaders, including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, with the caption: “They want Netanyahu to lose.”

Erdogan has been a virulent critic of Israel’s massive offensive in Gaza since the unprecedented October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas. Relations have deteriorated over Israel’s aggressive interception of activist flotillas from Turkey seeking to force aid into Gaza.

But unlike other countries attacked by Netanyahu such as Iran, Turkey has powerful allies. It is a member of Nato and Erdogan enjoys a warm relationship with US President Donald Trump, whose ambassador to Ankara condemned Israel over the strikes.