The Israeli Defence Minister, Israel Katz, has launched a blistering verbal attack on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan following reports that Turkey intends to hold what Katz described as ‘sham trials’ targeting the military and political leadership of Israel.
In a statement released on Sunday, Katz dismissed the Turkish leader as a ‘paper tiger’, asserting that Erdoğan’s latest moves are a diversion from his failure to respond to Iranian missiles previously fired onto Turkish soil.
Katz further accused the Turkish President of resorting to antisemitism and highlighted what he perceived as a profound hypocrisy. He noted that Erdoğan, whom he identified as a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, has overseen the massacre of Kurdish people while simultaneously accusing Israel of genocide.
The Defence Minister maintained that Israel is merely defending itself against Hamas, whom he characterised as Erdoğan’s partners, and advised the President that it would be better for him to sit quietly and remain silent.
These tensions follow reports from the Jerusalem Post, citing Turkish media, which claim that Istanbul’s chief prosecutor indicted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and 35 other officials on Friday. The charges relate to the naval interception of the ‘Sumud’ Gaza flotilla in October 2025.
Turkish authorities are reportedly seeking extraordinary punishments of up to 4,596 years in prison, alleging that the military operation was conducted against civilians within international waters.
The list of those indicted by Turkey includes high-ranking figures such as Defence Minister Katz and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. In response, Prime Minister Netanyahu took to social media to declare that Israel will continue its campaign against Iran’s ‘terror regime’ and its proxies.
He contrasted Israel’s resolve with Erdoğan’s actions, claiming the Turkish President accommodates such regimes while having a history of violence against his own Kurdish citizens.
In a separate video message, Netanyahu emphasised that the campaign against Iran is far from over, despite what he called ‘historic achievements’. Using a map to illustrate the Iranian axis in red, the Prime Minister stated that while Israel’s enemies sought to strangle the nation, Israel was now the one ‘strangling them’. He made it clear that while significant strikes have been delivered, further military and strategic actions are still to come.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry has since issued a rebuttal via a message on X, dismissing the allegations made by Israeli officials as baseless, brazen, and false. The ministry argued that the targeting of President Erdoğan is a direct result of the discomfort caused by Turkey’s consistent vocalisation of the truth.
They reaffirmed Turkey’s commitment to standing by innocent civilians and declared their intention to ensure Netanyahu is held accountable for what they described as his crimes.
ANI
