20.10.2026 07:00
After Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said they did not want to confront Turkey directly, noteworthy statements came from Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. Emphasizing Turkey's strong navy, Smotrich argued that the alliance with Greece should be strengthened. The Israeli minister said that the close relationship between President Erdoğan and US President Trump was also a major difficulty for them.
After Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said they did not want to directly confront Turkey, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich also made statements targeting Ankara. Drawing attention to Turkey's military capacity, Smotrich argued that the alliance with Greece should be strengthened.
"WE MUST STRENGTHEN THE GREEK ALLIANCE AGAINST TURKEY" Pointing to Turkey and Pakistan as countries that should be considered from Israel's perspective, Smotrich called for increased military and strategic cooperation with Greece.
Smotrich said, "We must strengthen the Greek alliance against Turkey, Pakistan and the countries against us," emphasizing the importance of regional alliances for Israel's security policies.
"TURKEY HAS A VERY LARGE NAVY" The Israeli minister's specific reference to Turkey's naval power in his statements drew attention. Pointing to the size of the Turkish navy, Smotrich said, "Turkey has a very large navy and we need to analyze its consequences."
Smotrich's words stood out as an assessment revealing that Israel also takes Turkey's naval power into account in its military planning in the region.
"WE DO NOT CLOSE OUR EYES TO ERDOGAN" Smotrich, who also made assessments regarding President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, argued that Israel should be prepared not only for current security threats but also for the military capacities of countries in the region.
Smotrich said, "We must develop separate capabilities against Egypt, Turkey, Jordan, Syria and all other countries."
Stating that Israel should reduce its military dependence on foreign countries, the minister said, "We must be very large, very strong, very independent. We must have the resilience to sustain a long war on our own. We must be technologically the best and have the capacity to produce enormous quantities."
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich "TRUMP'S CLOSE RELATIONSHIP WITH ERDOGAN IS A GREAT DIFFICULTY FOR US" Another point that drew attention in Smotrich's statements was the relationship between President Erdogan and US President Donald Trump. Stating that the closeness of the two leaders creates a diplomatic difficulty for Israel, Smotrich said they are closely following the Washington administration's policies toward Turkey.
The Israeli minister said, "Trump's close relationship with Erdogan is a great difficulty for us. We are trying to prevent agreements that would be bad for us and to ensure that the US preserves Israel's qualitative military edge. The US is also obligated to maintain this through legal regulations."
NETANYAHU HAD ALSO ASSESSED THE POSSIBILITY OF CONFLICT WITH TURKEY Smotrich's statements came immediately after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's remarks regarding a possible military conflict with Turkey.
In his assessment on October 18, Netanyahu had said, "I hope we do not enter into a direct conflict with Turkey. At least I am trying to prevent it."
While stating that they wanted to prevent a direct conflict, the Israeli Prime Minister also said they were making preparations for possible developments.
HE HAD ALSO OPPOSED TURKEY'S F-35 PURCHASE Smotrich had previously announced that they opposed Turkey's purchase of F-35 fighter jets from the US. In his assessment in July, he said they had made initiatives both publicly and through diplomatic channels to prevent the fighter jets from being given to Turkey.
The Israeli minister's latest statements addressing Turkey's navy, the alliance with Greece and Erdogan-Trump relations together showed that Ankara's military and diplomatic capacity holds an important place in security debates in Israel.