Israel Katz has warned the Turkish leader against intervening in the Gaza war
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz has warned Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that he could face a similar fate to the deposed and executed Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein if he attempts to intervene in the Gaza war.
Erdogan engaged in a war of words with Israeli officials on Sunday amidst the IDF’s operation against Hamas in Gaza, as well as the escalating tensions between Israel and the Lebanese-based armed group Hezbollah. Addressing a rally in his hometown of Rize, Erdogan suggested that Türkiye could “enter” Israel to assist the Palestinians.
“We must be very strong so that Israel can’t do these ridiculous things to Palestine,” Erdogan said. He has previously condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza, comparing them to those of Nazi Germany – and likened Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Adolf Hitler.
Katz responded on X (formerly Twitter) with a warning of his own. “Erdogan is going down the path of Saddam Hussein and threatens to attack Israel,” he wrote, adding that the Turkish leader “should just remember what happened there and how that ended.”
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid also criticized Erdogan, calling him a “danger to the Middle East” and a “wannabe dictator.”
“The world, and especially NATO members, must strongly condemn his outrageous threats against Israel and force him to end his support for Hamas,” Lapid on X.
Saddam Hussein was overthrown during the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq. He went into hiding, but was eventually captured by US troops, convicted by an Iraqi court of crimes against humanity, and executed by hanging in 2006.
The US under President George W. Bush claimed at the time that the Iraqi leader had connections to Al-Qaeda – a group behind the 9/11 terrorist attacks – and had weapons of mass destruction. Both claims later turned out to be false, but Washington used them as justification for attacking Iraq, despite failing to secure the approval of the UN Security Council.