The world links the 'new enemy' and the elections. Netanyahu: 'They planned to break the status quo'

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's focus on Turkey in recent times has not gone unnoticed by the world media. CNN published a long article today dealing with the approaching elections, in which the sequence of events was described: 'A huge billboard on the highway in Tel Aviv places Turkey at the center of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's election campaign. The image shows President Erdogan alongside the leaders of Iran, Hezbollah, and the Mayor of New York as enemies of Israel — under the slogan: 'They want Netanyahu to lose. Do not let them win.'

Immediately after, they mentioned that a few days later, Israel attacked the Abu Duhur airport in northern Syria to prevent a Turkish establishment there. The article noted that the IDF gathered intelligence on Turkey's plans to station military personnel, drones, and air defense systems at the site — which would harm the IDF's freedom of action in the skies of Syria and change the strategic balance in the region. The intelligence was passed to the Trump administration and to Syrian President Ahmad Al-Sharaa. Turkey responded to the attack, rejected Netanyahu's claims, and mentioned the approaching elections.

Netanyahu himself addressed the tension with Turkey in an interview with Channel 9:

'We created a security zone in Syria to stop a jihadist invasion, and in northern Syria is Turkey, which has a certain area there. I do not want to see Turkey moving south. I conveyed this also to the Assad regime — do not let them move south. And I also conveyed it to the Turks. There is a status quo and they intended to break it.'

Netanyahu further said: 'I conveyed a message also through the Americans and by other means and also directly to Syria, that we will not tolerate Turkish military establishment in an airport south of the area where Turkey is currently located. The message was apparently not received and we had to illustrate it in kinetic ways, so we clarified it in kinetic ways. Reality is changing rapidly. One power is declining, and the power of Iran is in decline. Another power is rising, that's how it is. But it is important that our power rises. We need to act intelligently and very decisively and not belligerently. And that is what we will continue to do.'

'The President of Syria is a terrorist in a suit'

Meanwhile, senior officials in Israel say that Syrian President Ahmad Al-Sharaa is facing a decision on where Syria is headed: 'The specific event that happened at the Abu Duhur base is behind us, but what will happen there, Al-Sharaa must decide. He can accept the Israeli dictate on certain rules of the game and not cross them so as not to get into trouble with us. He can play for the whole pot and still promote the Turks and tell them: protect me from Israeli attacks. All options are open. And he can try through American pressure to get us off this thing.'

The officials added: 'The Americans are constantly trying to calm things down with the Turks. The Turks are not looking for a military confrontation with Israel. There is a game of chicken here by both sides in an attempt to formulate rules of the game in Syria. Al-Sharaa is not a pawn of Turkey and does not do its bidding — he has great independence and he must decide what he does with it.'

Regarding the American decision to remove sanctions from Al-Sharaa, in Israel they do not hide their disappointment: 'We treat the Syrians with great suspicion, but it is clear that the entire Western world, after the validation that Trump gave him — the entire Western world perceives him as super legitimate. Let's hope this was not a mistake.'

A senior Israeli official said that Syria currently poses a significant challenge for Israel, and at its head stands the Syrian regime, which the official defines as an 'enemy in the medium and long term.' 'The Assad regime fell, but on the other hand, there is now Al-Qaeda,' said the official. According to him, the main challenge is Al-Sharaa's success in establishing a status for himself in the international arena, and especially before US President Donald Trump. The official also criticized the American ambassador to Turkey, Tom Barak, who, according to him, 'is doing him a great job and causing us great damage.'

The official emphasized that Israel cannot allow the new Syria to build military capabilities that will endanger it. 'We have an enemy, it is clear to us that he is an enemy in the medium and long term, and he will want to build capabilities. We must not allow him to build capabilities,' he said. According to him, Israel seeks to prevent significant establishment of forces in southern Syria, the approach of Julani's forces to the Israeli border, and damage to the freedom of action of the Air Force in the skies of Syria. At the same time, Israel seeks to continue working with the Druze in the Suwayda area and preserve international legitimacy for its actions.