Israeli security officials warn Netanyahu risks ‘unnecessary’ escalation with Turkiye: Israeli media

Several Israeli security officials warned that attacks by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz against Turkiye could lead to an “unnecessary” escalation, according to Israeli media on Friday, Anadolu reports.

The warning came as the Netanyahu government intensified its rhetoric against Ankara ahead of Knesset elections scheduled for Oct. 27, according to Channel 12.

According to the broadcaster, several security officials prefer not to push the dispute with Turkiye toward a broader public confrontation.

Netanyahu and his Likud party have increasingly brought Turkiye and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan into their election rhetoric and campaigning.

READ: Turkiye seeks Interpol red notice for Netanyahu over Gaza aid flotilla case

The Channel 12 said that the Israeli military had pushed for an attack early Tuesday morning on the Abu al-Duhur Military Airbase in Syria’s Idlib province, located approximately 70 kilometers from the Turkiye border.

Some security officials, however, wanted to keep the attack away from the spotlight and official statements to avoid pushing things toward a direct confrontation with Ankara, according to the brooadcaster.

It said the officials also did not welcome the sharp public statements Netanyahu and Katz made after the attack.

Earlier Friday, Turkiye said it had requested Interpol red notices for Netanyahu and another Israeli defendant as part of an ongoing prosecution over an Israeli attack on activists aboard the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla.

READ: Turkiye slams Israeli Prime Minister’s Office over remarks targeting President Erdogan