Growing Turkish calls for genocide against the Israeli people has led military analysts to suggest Israel may need to launch a pre-emptive strike on the extremist Islamic regime.
By Hezy Laing
During a prayer service to mark the end of Ramadan on March 30, 2025, President Erdogan called for Allah to destroy the Jewish State, “May Allah, for the sake of his name … destroy and devastate Zionist Israel.”
In an interview with CNN Türk in July 2026, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said, “These people (the Israelis) have become a burden that humanity can no longer bear.”
The growing Turkish calls for genocide against the Israeli people has led military analysts to suggest Israel may need to make a pre-emptive strike on the extremist Islamic regime.
How would this possibly look?
To ensure freedom of operation for the Israeli Air Force across the Mediterranean, the first wave would focus entirely on blinding and dismantling Turkey’s long-range detection and interception umbrella.
This would include the Russian-made S-400 missile batteries primarily stationed near Ankara or along strategic coastal zones, the NATO-allied Kürecik Radar Station in southeastern Turkey which tracks long-range ballistic missile launches, and the domestic Hisar and Siper surface-to-air missile networks protecting major military installations.
Israel would seek to ground the Turkish Air Force immediately to prevent a counter-strike or interception missions over the Mediterranean.
Incirlik Air Base in Adana, a massive joint-use facility housing critical strategic infrastructure, would be a primary target, along with Merzifon and Malatya air bases that serve as key hubs for Turkey’s main F-16 fighter squadrons and strike assets.
Coastal installations at Dalaman and Antalya, used to project air power over the Eastern Mediterranean, would also be struck.
Turkey is a global leader in unmanned aerial vehicle warfare, and Israel would prioritize eliminating Turkey’s drone fleet and manufacturing capabilities before they could be deployed in mass swarms.
The Baykar Technology manufacturing plants near Istanbul, responsible for producing the ubiquitous Bayraktar TB2 and Akinci combat drones, would be targeted, along with the Turkish Aerospace Industries complexes in Ankara that manufacture advanced drones and fifth-generation fighter prototypes.
Mobile and fixed satellite command centers deployed along Turkey’s southern coast would also be destroyed.
To secure Israeli gas fields in the Levant Basin and prevent a naval blockade, Israel would target the Turkish Navy’s infrastructure.
The Aksaz Naval Base on the Aegean coast, the primary launchpad for Turkish naval operations in the Mediterranean, and the Gölcük Naval Shipyard, the heart of Turkey’s naval manufacturing where submarines and advanced frigates are constructed and repaired, would be struck.
The TCG Anadolu, Turkey’s flagship amphibious assault ship which functions as a light aircraft and drone carrier, would also be a high-value target.
Eliminating Turkey’s domestic long-range missile inventory would be vital to protecting the Israeli home front from retaliation.
Mobile launch locations and storage facilities for Turkey’s domestically produced Tayfun and Bora short-and-medium-range ballistic missiles would be targeted, along with the core military command, control, and intelligence communications centers located in the capital city of Ankara.
Some analysts believe an Israeli pre-emptive strike on Turkey is highly improbable due to geographic distance, Turkey’s NATO membership, and the lack of an immediate, existential cross-border threat.
But Prime Minster Benjamin Nentanyahu recently said what many Israelis today believe, ” When they say they want to kill you, take them seriously.”
