Israel Warns Erdogan: 'You Will End Up Like Saddam Hussein' After Turkey's Invasion Threat
Israel has issued a warning to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, suggesting he could meet a fate similar to that of Saddam Hussein after Erdogan threatened that Turkey could invade Israel and send forces to occupied Palestine to support the Palestinian people.
“We must be very strong so that Israel can’t do these things to Palestine,” Erdogan stated on Sunday, July 28, referring to the ongoing violence in Gaza. “Just as we entered [Nagorno-]Karabakh, just as we entered Libya, we might do the same to them. There is nothing we can’t do. We must only be strong.”
It’s important to note that Turkey is a member of NATO, alongside strong allies of Israel such as the US, UK, France, and Germany.
In response to Erdogan’s comments, top Israeli officials warned him that he would face the same fate as former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. Addressing the Turkish president in a post on X, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz remarked, “Erdogan is going down the path of Saddam Hussein and threatens to attack Israel. He should just remember what happened there and how that ended.”
The foreign minister even included a picture of Erdogan alongside an image of Saddam Hussein being executed by US forces.
Meanwhile, opposition leader Yair Lapid has called on NATO members to “force” Erdogan to end his support for the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.
“President Erdogan is ranting and raving again. He is a danger to the Middle East. The world, and especially NATO members, must strongly condemn his outrageous threats against Israel and force him to end his support for Hamas,” Lapid stated on X.
In 2003, the United States and its allies invaded Iraq under the pretext that Saddam Hussein possessed nuclear weapons, a claim that was later proven to be false.
After hiding for three years, Saddam was captured and executed in 2006. Since the invasion, it is estimated that over one million Iraqis have lost their lives as a result of the US-led coalition’s actions.
The US military remains in Iraq under agreements with the government; however, many political parties and citizens view their presence as an occupying force due to ongoing interference in the country’s internal affairs and control over many of its resources, particularly energy.
