Defense Minister Yisrael Katz issued a sharp message to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday morning amid tensions surrounding Turkey’s military presence in Syria and Israel’s strike on a Syrian airbase overnight Monday.

The strike triggered furious reactions in Turkey, with pro-government media branding the attack a “war provocation.” In addition, Turkey’s defense ministry lied outright by claiming that no Turkish military delegation had visited the airbase before the strike, even after Syria admitted that a Turkish delegation visited the site a day before the Israeli attack.

Katz published his remarks on X in Turkish and Hebrew and even tagged Erdogan’s account.

“Erdogan is dragging Turkey into dangerous adventures in Syria,” Katz wrote.

“Israel will not allow any actor to threaten its security.”

“It would be better for Erdogan to continue delivering his delusional, empty speeches against Israel in the Turkish parliament rather than testing Israel’s resolve to defend itself.”

Kan News revealed on Wednesday that Israel provided the United States with intelligence showing that Turkey was preparing to establish a presence at the base after indirect talks aimed at reaching understandings with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa failed to produce an agreement.

A senior Israeli official also confirmed to Fox News that Israel shared sensitive intelligence with the United States shortly before the strikes. According to the report, the intelligence was provided directly to the highest levels of U.S. intelligence agencies.

The report added that Israel is not only concerned about the restoration of the runways at the airbase, which occupies a strategic location between the provinces of Idlib, Hama and Aleppo, but also about the possible deployment of air defense systems that could threaten Israel’s control of the airspace, as well as advanced drones.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)