Israel clashes with Turkey, will Saudi Arabia and Pakistan defend Ankara?
The feud between Turkey and Israel has heated up once again. The dispute erupted after Israel attacked a Syrian base in Idlib. Tel Aviv said the strike was a warning to Turkey not to build up military strength in Syria.
“We will not tolerate the strengthening of Turkey’s military position in Syria, which threatens Israel,” said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (20/8/2028).
The attack occurred shortly after Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan signed a memorandum of understanding on a joint defence pact. Under the Makkah Pact, the three countries agreed to defend one another if any of them were attacked.
Two internal sources in Ankara with links to the Turkish government believe the Zionist attack was not only intended as a political manoeuvre ahead of elections in Israel, but also to weaken the credibility of Turkey’s support for Syria.
“The Makkah agreement, which involves Pakistan and Saudi Arabia—described by Israel as a new Sunni axis—has placed Netanyahu in a difficult position domestically,” one source said.
“So essentially Israel is saying: we do not care about the new security architecture being built by Turkey, and we will continue to launch attacks wherever and whenever we want.”
The internal source added that Israel is also testing the administration of US President Donald Trump, which has supported the Sharaa government. Trump welcomed the Makkah Agreement earlier this week.
A second source said Israel has now formally asserted its view that Turkey’s presence in Syria constitutes a threat.
“Israel may be facing elections, but Turkey will also hold elections in 2028. This tension could worsen and trigger a repeat of the 2015 incident, when Ankara shot down a Russian fighter jet,” the source warned.
He added that the attack could also be an attempt to send a direct message to Erdogan.
Over the weekend, Erdogan revealed his plan to visit Damascus at the end of this year—his first visit since the fall of the Assad regime. “This is a way of telling Erdogan that they will not let him feel comfortable in Syria,” the source said.
There has been no response yet from Pakistan or Saudi Arabia regarding the tension between Turkey and Israel.
Meanwhile, the Syrian government condemned the attack, stating that eight strikes hit the runway of the air base, which was no longer operational, in the early hours of the morning.
A number of unnamed Israeli officials initially gave conflicting explanations. They briefly accused Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa of supporting proxy forces before later changing their official narrative.