Turkish Defense Minister Yaşar Güler said in a letter to a lawmaker in the country’s parliament dated Aug. 10 that preparations for “possible crisis, tension, and war” in the surrounding region are continuing in close coordination among all relevant state institutions.
The letter was first reported by Nordic Monitor, a news site run by the Stockholm-based Nordic Research and Monitoring Network.
In a striking shift in Ankara’s strategic planning, Güler linked Turkey’s preparations for a potential war to growing concerns over Greece’s expanding military ties with Israel, which Turkish officials are closely watching as a challenge to the country’s security and interests in the Aegean and eastern Mediterranean.
Even without identifying specific agencies or resources, Güler’s language suggests that the preparations extend beyond the military, with multiple state institutions involved in planning for a potentially broad national response to what Ankara appears to view as an increasingly challenging security environment.
The escalation in Ankara’s rhetoric comes amid growing Turkish concern over Greece’s rapid military modernization, including its acquisition of Israeli weapons and air defense systems.
In recent years, Israel and Greece have significantly expanded their defense cooperation through joint military exercises, training, defense technology, and industrial partnerships, with Turkish officials warning that the deepening ties warrant close scrutiny as Ankara assesses their potential impact on its security and regional interests.
At the same time, Turkey is rapidly expanding its naval capabilities, with 47 warships under construction as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pushes to transform the country into a major regional maritime power — a buildup that is drawing close attention from both Israeli and Greek officials.
In his letter, Güler also noted that shifting dynamics in Turkey’s neighborhood could create new opportunities to advance Ankara’s national interests, though he offered no details on what those opportunities might involve.
On Wednesday, Erdoğan said Turkey must remain strong and united in the face of mounting challenges in the region, warning that Ankara would not be swayed from its course by outside provocations.
“When necessary, we can put everything else aside. But when it comes to our homeland and the future of our state and nation, we bow to no one,” the Turkish leader said in a statement. “In this region, we have no choice but to remain strong, united, and standing together.”
“Those who believe they can halt the progress of Turkey and the Turkish nation through provocations and schemes will be disappointed,” he continued. “We will not change our course or be diverted by the provocations of others.”
For Turkey, the growing Greek-Israeli military partnership is transforming the Aegean dispute into part of a much broader regional security realignment, as Israeli weapons, technology, and strategic cooperation become increasingly embedded in Greece’s military posture while the Turkish-Israeli rivalry intensifies from the eastern Mediterranean to Syria.
According to a recent report by Greek media outlet Pro News, Israel may be even considering scenarios in which a potential confrontation with Turkey could spill into the eastern Mediterranean and involve Cyprus. The report alleges that Israel is weighing possible strikes against Turkish military targets in northern Cyprus if Jerusalem determines that Ankara’s military presence on the island poses a threat to the country’s interests.
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