Katz warns Erdogan over Syria: Israel will not accept changes to the security reality

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz issued a strongly worded warning to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, stressing that Tel Aviv will not allow any steps that would enhance Syria’s capabilities or alter the balance of power in a way that threatens its security interests.

Katz said that Israel “knows how to defend its interests,” calling on Erdogan not to enter into a confrontation with it or take steps that could lead him to a fate similar to what he described as the Iranian experience.

The Israeli defense minister added that the Turkish president still has “time to avoid escalation,” noting that his country is monitoring regional developments and will act as it sees fit to protect its security.

In a related context, Katz said that US President Donald Trump understands, according to him, that Israel will not give up its presence in the buffer zones in Lebanon, Gaza, and Syria, considering these areas part of the security arrangements that Tel Aviv seeks to preserve.