Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan an "antisemitic dictator" on Friday, accusing him of seeking to expand aggression against Israel through Syria after Israeli airstrikes targeted the Abu al-Duhar air base earlier this week.
The escalating rhetoric follows Turkey's denial of plans to permanently station troops at the base and Syria's insistence that Turkish officers visited only for training cooperation. Turkish officials accused Netanyahu of pursuing an aggressive policy to destabilize the region ahead of Israeli elections. Turkey's justice minister has sought an Interpol red notice for Netanyahu over genocide allegations.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Erdogan against dragging Turkey into "dangerous adventures", while Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said Damascus remains open to negotiations on de-escalation. Washington is working to establish stronger communication channels between Israel, Turkey, and Syria to prevent further incidents.