A rocket strike on the Druze village of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights claimed the lives of 12 people, mostly teenagers. An emergency meeting of the Israeli government took place, and experts predict a retaliatory strike on Lebanon, from where the rockets were fired, within 48 hours (of which less than 24 hours remain). However, some experts believe that a new full-scale war with Lebanon is not in Israel’s plans. Lebanese authorities are demanding an international investigation into the strike on Majdal Shams, which clearly indicates their attempt to avert Israeli retaliation.
In this context, the possibility of sending troops to Israel has been mentioned in Turkey. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made such a statement. In connection with another Israeli attack on Gaza, where at least 30 people were killed according to Palestinian sources, Erdogan said: “Turkey can enter Israel just as it did in Libya. There is no reason why we should not do this. We just need to be strong enough to take these steps.” He then reminded that Turkey’s GDP has already reached 1 trillion 411 billion dollars. “When the AKP came to power (in 2002), our country’s export volume was only 36 billion dollars, whereas today this figure exceeds 250 billion dollars, and this is not the limit,” the head of state noted, emphasizing that the stronger Turkey is, the more opportunities it has to prevent pressure on its friends, such as supporting Azerbaijan in the 44-day Patriotic War.
We will leave aside the attempts by Armenian “experts” on various TG-dumps to present this statement by Erdogan as “proof” that Turkish military personnel participated in the hostilities. It is clear that the Turkish president was talking about a different kind of support and the authority of his country.
What is more important is the theoretical discussions and forecasts about whether this will be a large-scale military operation or a “humanitarian mission,” whether Turkish troops will come between the parties, get involved in the conflict, or if it will end with a “show of force,” and finally, which side will prevail. Turkey has the second most powerful army in Europe and NATO, with extensive experience in overseas operations. The Israeli army, with decades of perpetual wars with its Arab neighbors, has also earned respect, but the “missed strike” on October 7, 2023, and the prolonged operation to clear Gaza have not worked in favor of the Israeli security forces’ authority.
However, it is necessary to remember: despite the flurry of harsh statements in Turkey and Israel, the decision to send Turkish troops has not yet been made, the operation’s preparation has not begun, and Erdogan spoke about the possibility of such a step, not that Turkish troops would appear in Gaza and Khan Yunis tomorrow or the day after. It is telling that representatives of “third countries” are not rushing to react and are waiting for Turkey’s intentions to become clearer.
But for our audience, priorities lie elsewhere. Turkey is a brotherly country for Azerbaijan. With Israel, our country has constructive relations and multifaceted cooperation, from medicine and tourism to agriculture, communication technologies, and arms supplies. Formally, this is not a case where Azerbaijan has legal obligations and must enter the conflict. But let’s be realistic: to say that such a serious rise in tensions between Turkey and Israel is concerning for Azerbaijan is an understatement. This is a case where all diplomatic possibilities must be used to avoid a new round of conflict in the Middle East and Turkey’s involvement. Especially since before the Hamas attack on October 7, Turkey and Israel were taking steps towards normalizing relations. This means there is still a chance to “not burn the last bridge.”
