Katz on the Turkish threat: "It is fortunate that the critics have no influence, one must not fear Erdogan"
The Minister of Defense accuses critics of the strike on the Syrian base of flip-flopping and backs the move to prevent Turkish entrenchment in the region: "They moved from claims of a political strike to attempts to scare us with Erdogan, it is fortunate they have no influence"
"The warnings that we will not allow Turkey to entrench itself in Syria and endanger Israel's security are unnecessary and dangerous": Minister of Defense Israel Katz attacked this morning (Sunday) the critics of the surprise Israeli strike on a base in Syria that led to tensions with Ankara, and claimed that the critics "changed their version" the moment the political echelon clarified the goals of the strike.
Spokesperson for the National Public Diplomacy Directorate Doron Spielman, who is intended to serve as the "face of Israel in the world" and has held his position for less than two months, published a video last Friday in which he explained the background to the strike and warned against Turkish expansion in the region.
According to Israeli intelligence, Turkish forces were about to be deployed at the Abu al-Duhur base in northern Syria, at a distance of less than 300 km from Israeli communities. Spielman emphasized that Benjamin Netanyahu made it clear that Israel would not allow Turkey to advance south towards its border, and that after Syria ignored repeated warnings, Israel was forced to "convey the message in another way".
"Moved to an alternative version"
Minister of Defense Katz claims that despite the arguments that the strike was carried out for political considerations, it was clarified that "the IDF recommended the strike based on clear intelligence, and the political echelon weighed it carefully and made the decision".
"At first, some commentators and event hosts who cling to the definition of themselves as journalists, and some opposition leaders, said that the strike in Syria was unnecessary and carried out for political considerations. After it was clarified that the IDF recommended the strike based on clear intelligence, and the political echelon weighed it carefully and made the decision, they moved to an alternative version, according to which: the statements of the Prime Minister and the Minister of Defense towards Erdogan and the warnings that we will not allow Turkey to entrench itself in Syria and endanger Israel's security are unnecessary and dangerous."
"One must not anger Erdogan, as if we went out for some evening stroll with a light breeze in the treetops that has nothing to do with anything, and Erdogan is actually some lover of Zion. It is fortunate that they have no influence on anything today, and we will hope very much for the sake of Israel's security that they do not reach positions of influence with such positions in the future".
