Israel Opens Front Against Turkey Through IDF Spokesman on Turkish-Language X Account

The Israeli military has announced the launch of a new official account on the social media platform X in Turkish, amid ongoing tensions between Israel and Turkey over several issues, including Israeli concerns over Ankara’s influence in Syria.

According to the Israeli newspaper Maariv, the spokesperson for the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) in Turkish is Lieutenant Colonel Arieh Shiroz. This move comes after what the publication described as the “success” of the Arabic-language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee.

Shiroz appeared in a video on the new Turkish-language X account, addressing the Turkish public in their native language. He pledged to “disseminate explosive and reliable information about what is happening in the Israeli military,” as he stated.

The report noted that this initiative occurs in the context of rising tensions between Israel and Turkey, referencing remarks made by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan a few days earlier about Israeli attempts to incite divisions in Syria.

Erdoğan stated, “Those who try to benefit from the instability in Syria by encouraging ethnic and religious divisions must know that they will not achieve their goals. We will not allow Syria to be divided as they envision and draw their maps.”

The article also highlighted a report issued by the General Committee, chaired by the former head of the Israeli National Security Council, Professor Yaakov Nagel, on the defense budget needs.

The report discussed potential threats from Turkey, stressing that “Turkey’s increasing influence in Syria—along with the growing hostility of President Erdoğan’s government towards Israel—could pose a new challenge, and the security system must prepare for it in advance.”

The report added: “We must not forget the source from which the rebels (the Syrian opposition that overthrew Assad’s regime) and their leaders came. Therefore, we must consider the possibility that Israel may face a new threat in Syria, one that may, in certain respects, be as dangerous as previous ones, in the form of a radical Sunni force that will also not accept the existence of Israel.”

It also warned that “if the Sunni rebels receive international support due to their control in Syria, they could pose a greater threat than the Iranian threat, which has been limited due to Israel’s ongoing activity and the constraints imposed by the sovereign Syrian state.”

Maariv cautioned that Turkey is a regional power politically, economically, and militarily, and a direct conflict with it could present a significant challenge for the Israeli state.

In recent years, Turkey has strengthened its military capabilities by developing domestic defense industries. In 2023, its arms exports reached approximately $5.5 billion, equivalent to half of Israel’s arms exports.

Furthermore, the Turkish military is considered the largest in the Eastern Mediterranean region, with extensive combat experience gained from military operations in Syria, Libya, and the war between Armenia and Azerbaijan.