Likud minister says Turkey and Syria 'far more concerning than Iran'

An Israeli minister from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party said that Turkey and Syria are "far more concerning than Iran," claiming that there is a "Muslim Brotherhood axis".

Speaking at the JNS International Policy Summit in Jerusalem on Tuesday, Israeli Minister of Diaspora Affairs Amichai Chikli said: "Turkiye of Erdogan and Syria of al-Sharaa are now far more concerning than Iran."

He added that "the era of Shiite empire of Iran, Assad's Syria and Hezbollah is over".

"The new axis is the Muslim Brotherhood axis of Erdogan's Turkiye, Syria and Qatar," Chikli said. "And its better to open your eyes now."

Chikli has previously warned that Israel "will be at war with Syria", and referred to a "radical Sunni axis of evil", referring to Turkey, Qatar and Pakistan.

“There is no way that a jihadist regime rooted in Isis [Islamic State] and al-Qaeda, whose aspiration is the unification of Jerusalem, can live in peace alongside the State of Israel,” the far-right minister said, referring to Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s government, which emerged from a former al-Qaeda affiliate in northwest Syria. 

His comments come amid growing tensions between Turkey and Israel, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan saying recently that Israel's attacks in Syria and Lebanon pose a threat to his country.

Amichai Chikli, Israeli Minister of Diaspora Affairs, speaking at the JNS International Policy Summit in Jerusalem on Tuesday, said that Turkey and Syria are more “concerning” than Iran, claiming that there is a “Muslim Brotherhood axis” pic.twitter.com/bNYeL5bh5W

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Earlier this month, Likud politician Ariel Kellner declared Turkey an "enemy state," while Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar said last month that Israel "must begin to treat Turkey as an enemy state," suggesting that Turkey would suffer heavy blows in a possible conflict with Israel.

In February, former prime minister Naftali Bennett indicated that he sees Turkey as an enemy, with the opposition figure stating: "Turkey is the new Iran."

On Tuesday, an analysis published by the Israeli newspaper Maariv argued that Turkey now poses a greater long-term challenge to Israel than Iran, citing Ankara's expanding military capabilities and growing defence industry.

It suggests that Israeli policymakers are increasingly paying attention to Ankara's growing influence and capabilities alongside more traditional regional security concerns.