ISTANBUL, July 28 Turkey can «enter» Israel in the same way it once did Libya and Nagorno-Karabakh, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at a meeting of the ruling party's branch in Rize province, his speech was broadcast on local television.
The head of state noted the achievements of the Turkish defense industry, but, in his opinion, if they were more significant, Israel «would not have done to Palestine what it did.»
«We must be strong <…> As we entered Karabakh, as we entered Libya, so we will do with them (Israel. — Ed.). There is nothing we cannot do,» Erdogan emphasized.
In January 2020, the Turkish parliament authorized the sending of a military contingent to Libya for the first time. The mandate was then extended until July 2022, and from January of this year — for another 24 months. Earlier, Ankara noted that this activity is carried out in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions.
In the fall of 2020, Turkey provided support to Azerbaijan during the Second Karabakh War, and its drones actively participated in military operations.
Ankara has condemned Tel Aviv's actions in the Gaza Strip from the very beginning and accuses it of mass murder of Palestinian civilians. It has repeatedly called for a ceasefire and put pressure on the Jewish state.
In particular, in early May, the Turkish Ministry of Trade announced a complete cessation of trade with Israel. Before that, Ankara limited the export of 54 subgroups of goods, but the IDF continued military operations in Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also been personally criticized more than once. Thus, his speech in the US Congress this week caused not only anti-war protests at the Capitol, but also a harsh reaction from Turkish politicians, including Erdogan, who called the head of the Israeli cabinet a butcher, «on whose hands is the blood of 150 thousand residents of Gaza.» Earlier, he also called Netanyahu a «modern Fuhrer,» emphasizing that the West ignores his crimes.
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, since October 7 last year, the death toll from Israeli strikes on the enclave has exceeded 39,000, with more than 89,800 people injured.