Washington (Monitoring Desk): Former US Ambassador to Turkey Francis J. Ricciardone has said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is attempting to gain political advantage by portraying Turkey as a new enemy, particularly ahead of the October legislative elections.
Speaking to Arab media, Ricciardone said an election advertisement displayed on a main road in Tel Aviv shows Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan among Israel’s opponents alongside Iran, Hezbollah, and the mayor of New York. The advertisement also suggests that Erdogan wants to prevent Netanyahu from achieving victory.
According to international media, a few days after the advertisement appeared, Israeli fighter jets targeted the Abu al-Zuhur military base in northern Syria. Israeli officials claimed that the operation was aimed at preventing Turkey’s growing military presence in the region.
With less than two months remaining until the Israeli elections, the timing of the attack has sparked political debate over whether the operation was carried out in response to a genuine security threat or whether the threat was highlighted to gain electoral support. Turkey, the United States, and some of Netanyahu’s political opponents have also questioned the timing of the operation.