Erdogan breaks his silence, compares Netanyahu to Hitler, pledges military buildup

Turkey is the wildcard in Middle East and its leader just told us whose side it's going to be on in World War III

Leo Hohmann

With the Israel-Iran war continuing to escalate, some of my greatest concerns appear to be materializing in real time, namely the entrance of outside nation-states into the conflict. 

The United States is poised to enter the war at any moment on behalf of Israel, as is the United Kingdom, both of which have moved air and naval assets into the region. Will Russia and China stand back and watch, or get involved themselves?

Another wild card is Turkey, a key member of the U.S.-led NATO alliance. Turkey controls key waterways in the Middle East and is supposely a U.S. ally but it’s also an Islamic nation with aspirations in the region. It will not be content to sit back and watch Israel become a global hegemon in its backyard.

On Wednesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made it clear whose side he is on in the Israel-Iran war. And it’s not Israel. This is interesting given the fact that Turkey is in a military alliance with Israel’s partners in the West.

Erdogan announced on Wednesday that his country's defense industry will become fully independent, producing its own warplanes, tanks, drones and frigates, all in an effort to build up a deterrent to Israel.

According to Middle East Eye, Erdogan said at a parliamentary group meeting for his AKP Party:

"We will further increase our domestic and national production rate, which we have raised from 20 percent to 80 percent. We will continue with patience, determination, perseverance, and firm steps until we achieve our goal of full independence in the defense industry.”

Turkey already has a very active defense industry and boasts the largest army in the region, so Erdogan seems to be sending a message to Israel and the world.

Addressing Israeli attacks on Iran and rising tensions in the region, Erdogan said Turkish officials were on high alert and preparing contingency plans for all possible risks.

He said:

“We will raise our deterrence to such a level that not only will no one attack us, but no one will even dare to think of it.”

He added that Turkey had recently completed a number of national defense projects, including air-defense systems, warships, cruise missiles, armed drones, and helicopters.

Erdogan described Israel's assault on Iran as “state terrorism,” and he accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government of disregarding international laws and rules.

He defended Iran’s response to Israel’s pre-emptive attack, which was launched seven days ago.

“It is completely natural, legitimate, and a legal right for Iran to defend itself in the face of Israel's banditry," he said, adding that the attacks were carried out while Iran’s nuclear negotiations were ongoing.

But it gets worse.

Erdogan reportedly compared Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Adolf Hitler in comments on Israel's attacks on Iran, drawing a strong response and deepening the feud between the Turkish leader and Israel.

"Netanyahu has long surpassed the tyrant Hitler in the crime of genocide. We hope their fate will not be the same. Hopefully, sooner or later he will appear before an international independent court," the Turkish leader said in a recent speech and on his account on X, formerly Twitter.