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Trump squeezed between Israel and Turkey as Netanyahu, Erdogan escalate feud
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Tensions between Israel and Turkey are escalating sharply, with a war of words between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reaching new heights and placing President Donald Trump in an increasingly delicate position between the two sides as tension escalates.
The latest flare-up underscores a broader geopolitical clash about Iran, Gaza and regional influence, even as Washington attempts to maintain cooperation with both sides.
Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan accused Israel of deliberately seeking a new adversary following its confrontation with Iran, saying the Israeli government is attempting to portray Ankara as its next enemy.
«After Iran, Israel cannot live without an enemy,» Fidan said in a televised interview with the state-run Anadolu news agency. «We see that not only Netanyahu’s administration but also some figures in the opposition — though not all — are seeking to declare Turkey the new enemy,» he said.
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Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a rally in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Istanbul, Turkey, October 28, 2023. (Dilara Senkaya/Reuters)
The rhetoric reflects a sharp deterioration in relations that have been strained since Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack and the war in Gaza, but have now escalated into direct confrontation between the two leaders.
Netanyahu, in remarks posted on X Saturday, accused Erdogan of siding with Iran and its proxies, writing that Israel «will continue to fight Iran’s terror regime… unlike Erdogan who accommodates them and massacred his own Kurdish citizens.»
Erdogan has intensified his criticism of Israel’s military campaign, accusing its leadership of war crimes and backing international legal action against Israeli officials.
In one of the most incendiary exchanges, Turkey’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement claiming, «Netanyahu, who has been described as the Hitler of our time due to the crimes he has committed, is a well-known figure with a clear track record. An arrest warrant has been issued against Netanyahu by the International Criminal Court on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Under Netanyahu’s administration, Israel is facing proceedings before the International Court of Justice on charges of genocide.»
The escalation has not been limited to rhetoric. Erdogan previously has suggested Turkey could take more assertive military action in the region, referencing past interventions, remarks that have raised alarms in Israel.
Israeli officials have responded forcefully.
Defense Minister Israel Katz has dismissed Erdogan’s threats as bluster, while officials warn that Turkey’s regional posture, particularly its engagement in Syria, is being closely monitored.
For both leaders, analysts say, the escalation also serves domestic goals. For Trump, the situation presents a growing challenge.
The administration relies on Israel as a central partner in confronting Iran, while also depending on Turkey, a NATO ally, for regional diplomacy and mediation efforts tied to ceasefire negotiations and broader Middle East strategy.
That balancing act has become increasingly difficult as tensions between Jerusalem and Ankara intensify.
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Pro-Palestinian demonstrators take part in a protest against Israel, as the conflict between Israel and Hamas continues, near the Israeli Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, October 18, 2023. (Umit Bektas/Reuters)
Gönül Tol, senior fellow at the Middle East Institute and author of «Erdogan’s War: A Strongman’s Struggle at Home and in Syria,» told Fox News Digital, «The Trump administration has played a role in making sure the two countries do not clash in Syria. How Turkey and Israel are managing their differences in Syria, where stakes are high for Erdogan, is telling. But this doesn’t mean the two will try to undermine each other’s interests from the eastern Mediterranean to Levant to Horn of Africa.»
«I think for both leaders, Netanyahu and Erdogan, escalating rhetoric serves a domestic purpose,» Gönül added, «Anti-Israeli and pro-Palestinian sentiment in Turkey is very strong. At a time when Erdogan is struggling to resolve the country’s growing economic problems, responding to Netanyahu’s statements harshly scores points domestically and burnishes his strong leader image. But I do not think this rhetoric will turn into direct military clashes between the countries. Despite their military presence and clashing interests, Turkey and Israel have a quiet understanding where each accepts the other’s sphere of influence in the country and try to deconflict.»
In a policy webinar hosted by the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, Turkish academic Hüseyin Bağcı argued that Turkey’s ties with Washington limit the likelihood of direct conflict.
«The Turkish state is not interested in fighting with Israel because the Turkish government has very good relations with the United States of America,» he said. «You cannot be good with America and then be in conflict with Israel.»
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U.S. President Donald Trump (R) delivers remarks during a meeting with President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the Oval Office at the White House on Sept. 25, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
From the Israeli perspective, however, concerns center on actions rather than rhetoric.
Retired Israeli strategist Gabi Siboni said Turkey’s behavior in Syria is shaping threat perceptions.
«I don’t know what Erdogan thinks. I know what he does, and I see what we see in our area,» Siboni said in the webinar, adding, «There are true security concerns when we’re talking about what is happening in Syria. … Israel is not going to accept any type of military entrenchment of foreign actors.»
Bağcı maintained that the tensions are largely political.
«There is no structural conflict between Israel and Turkey,» he said. «The rhetoric is political … but the geography and the interests remain.»
The tensions are also being fueled by renewed friction over Gaza-bound aid flotillas, a long-standing flash point in Israel–Turkey relations.
A new Turkish-linked flotilla departed from Barcelona Monday, raising concerns in Israel about a repeat of past confrontations. The issue carries deep historical weight: in 2010, Israeli commandos boarded the Gaza flotilla raid, in which 10 were killed, triggering a years-long diplomatic rupture between the two countries.
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President Donald Trump hosts Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago on Dec. 29, 2025, with talks addressing Iran’s renewed threats and potential progress on the next phase of the Gaza peace framework. (Israel Government Press Office)
Recent reports that Turkish prosecutors are seeking prison sentences for Israeli officials, including Benjamin Netanyahu, over flotilla-related incidents have further escalated tensions, reinforcing how unresolved grievances continue to inflame the current crisis.
While the confrontation remains largely rhetorical for now, the sharp escalation in language, and the competing interests driving it, highlight the fragility of the regional landscape and the limits of Washington’s ability to keep both sides aligned.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Turkish Embassy in Washington, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office and the White House but did not receive a response in time for publication.
benjamin netanyahu, turkey, iran, israel, hamas
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Mossad Director Dadi Barnea declared Tuesday that Israel’s operations against Iran will end «only once the extremist regime in Iran is replaced.»
Barnea made the remark during a Holocaust commemoration event, according to The Wall Street Journal.
«We meticulously planned so that our operations would continue and manifest themselves even in the period following the strikes in Tehran,» Barnea reportedly said. «Our commitment will be fulfilled only once the extremist regime in Iran is replaced.»
«Forty days of intense combat have led to highly significant achievements, foremost among them a blow to the enemy’s central objective — the destruction of the State of Israel,» Barnea added, according to Ynetnews. «However, our mission has not yet been completed.»
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File photo shows Mojtaba Khamenei, son of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, attending a demonstration to mark Jerusalem day in Tehran. (Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto)
Israel began its Operation Roaring Lion against Iran on Feb. 28, the same day the U.S. military launched Operation Epic Fury.
The joint U.S.-Israel effort has decimated Iran’s military and missile infrastructure and resulted in the death of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Hosseini Khamenei.
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Iranâs Assembly of Experts has appointed Mojtaba Khamenei (R) as the nationâs new supreme leader, succeeding his father, Ali Khamenei, in Tehran, capital of Iran, on March 4, 2026. (Iranian President’s Press Office/Anadolu)
Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is severely disfigured after sustaining leg and face injuries during initial airstrikes on Tehran in February, Reuters reported earlier this week.
Former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei arrives to cast his vote during the 2024 presidential election. (Sobhan Farajvan/Pacific Press)
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Khamenei is recovering after incurring the injuries in the Feb. 28 airstrikes that killed his father.
Fox News Digital’s Robert McGreevy contributed to this report.
israel, mojtaba khamenei, ali khamenei, war with iran, iran
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Mossad Director Dadi Barnea declared Tuesday that Israel’s operations against Iran will end «only once the extremist regime in Iran is replaced.»
Barnea made the remark during a Holocaust commemoration event, according to The Wall Street Journal.
«We meticulously planned so that our operations would continue and manifest themselves even in the period following the strikes in Tehran,» Barnea reportedly said. «Our commitment will be fulfilled only once the extremist regime in Iran is replaced.»
«Forty days of intense combat have led to highly significant achievements, foremost among them a blow to the enemy’s central objective — the destruction of the State of Israel,» Barnea added, according to Ynetnews. «However, our mission has not yet been completed.»
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File photo shows Mojtaba Khamenei, son of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, attending a demonstration to mark Jerusalem day in Tehran. (Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto)
Israel began its Operation Roaring Lion against Iran on Feb. 28, the same day the U.S. military launched Operation Epic Fury.
The joint U.S.-Israel effort has decimated Iran’s military and missile infrastructure and resulted in the death of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Hosseini Khamenei.
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Iranâs Assembly of Experts has appointed Mojtaba Khamenei (R) as the nationâs new supreme leader, succeeding his father, Ali Khamenei, in Tehran, capital of Iran, on March 4, 2026. (Iranian President’s Press Office/Anadolu)
Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is severely disfigured after sustaining leg and face injuries during initial airstrikes on Tehran in February, Reuters reported earlier this week.
Former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei arrives to cast his vote during the 2024 presidential election. (Sobhan Farajvan/Pacific Press)
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Khamenei is recovering after incurring the injuries in the Feb. 28 airstrikes that killed his father.
Fox News Digital’s Robert McGreevy contributed to this report.
israel, mojtaba khamenei, ali khamenei, war with iran, iran
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FIRST ON FOX: Sensitive U.S. military positions in the Middle East may have been exposed through commercial satellite imagery ahead of an Iranian strike that wounded American troops, House Select Committee on China Chairman John Moolenaar warned in a new letter raising national security concerns.
In the letter, obtained by Fox News Digital, Moolenaar said Airbus satellite imagery may have been the original source of images later published by a China-based company, MizarVision, which released high-resolution, annotated views of U.S. military aircraft at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.
Moolenaar pointed to a sequence in which the firm publicly identified U.S. aircraft at the base shortly before Iran launched a March 27 missile and drone strike on the installation.
The attack wounded at least 12 U.S. service members — two critically — and damaged multiple high-value aircraft, including KC-135 refueling tankers and an E-3G Sentry airborne warning and control system aircraft.
Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Mich., is seen in Cannon Tunnel on April 30, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc)
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Moolenaar said the timing and level of detail in the imagery raise questions about whether publicly available satellite data could be used by adversaries to identify and target U.S. military assets, warning that such images risk becoming «targeting data for enemy forces.»
While commercial satellite imagery is widely available and often used for research and transparency, the letter warns that near-real-time, high-resolution images of active operations could provide adversaries with actionable intelligence.
Moolenaar urged War Secretary Pete Hegseth to press Airbus to restrict the release of such imagery, noting that other companies, including Planet Labs, have voluntarily withheld images of the region at the request of the U.S. government.
The push highlights a broader debate over whether limiting access to commercial satellite imagery during wartime is necessary to protect U.S. troops or risks restricting open-source intelligence.
A technical analysis conducted with a satellite systems expert found Airbus satellites were the «most plausible» source of the imagery, according to the letter, identifying multiple windows in which they were positioned to capture images of the base.
The letter also cites a «high likelihood» that Airbus imagery was made available prior to the conflict, though it does not establish how the images were obtained or whether Airbus provided them directly.
A satellite image shows planes at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia February 21, 2026. (2026 Planet Labs PBC/Handout via Reuters)
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The letter also cites a satellite imagery expert who said the images were unlikely to have originated from Chinese satellites given their known capabilities, further narrowing the pool of potential providers.
Commercial satellite imagery often is distributed through complex global licensing networks, meaning images captured by one company can pass through multiple intermediaries before being accessed or published by third parties.
Moolenaar also pointed to Airbus’ business ties in China, including a joint venture with entities linked to the Chinese Academy of Sciences, raising concerns about how satellite imagery could flow through networks connected to Beijing.
The concerns come amid broader scrutiny from the committee over Airbus’ ties to China.
In a December 2025 letter, Moolenaar warned that Airbus’ work with Chinese firms linked to military development could risk advancing Beijing’s aerospace capabilities and said the French government had limited the committee’s ability to obtain information about Airbus’ operations.
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The episode highlights the expanding role of open-source intelligence in modern warfare, where commercially available satellite imagery can offer near real-time insight into military operations and, in some cases, expose sensitive positions during active conflicts.
At the same time, such imagery has become a key tool for journalists, researchers and governments, often used to track conflicts and verify military activity—raising questions about how to balance transparency with security during wartime.
Airbus and the Pentagon could not immediately be reached for comment.
middle east, national security, war with iran, iran, military
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