Erdogan says Turkey might enter Israel to help Palestinians

President Tayyip Erdogan stated on Sunday that Turkey might intervene in Israel, similar to its actions in Libya and Nagorno-Karabakh, though he did not specify the nature of the potential intervention.

Erdogan, known for his strong criticism of Israel’s offensive in Gaza, discussed the conflict during a speech lauding Turkey’s defense industry.

“We must be very strong so that Israel can’t do these ridiculous things to Palestine. Just like we entered Karabakh, just like we entered Libya, we might do similar to them,” Erdogan said at a meeting of his ruling AK Party in his hometown of Rize.

“There is no reason why we cannot do this… We must be strong so that we can take these steps,” he added in the televised address.

Representatives of the AK Party did not provide further details on Erdogan’s comments. Israel has not yet responded.

Erdogan seemed to refer to Turkey’s past actions. In 2020, Turkey deployed military personnel to Libya to support the United Nations-recognized Government of National Accord. The current Libyan Prime Minister, Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah, also enjoys Turkish backing.

While Turkey has denied direct involvement in Azerbaijan’s military operations in Nagorno-Karabakh, it has acknowledged providing military training and modernisation support to its ally.