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Former Israeli defense minister Moshe Yaalon accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday of deliberately fueling tensions with Türkiye by ordering an attack on an airbase in northern Syria that drew U.S. condemnation.
Yaalon said Netanyahu is keeping Israel's existing war fronts open and seeking to create new ones to avoid accountability for the Oct. 7 attack and prevent the establishment of a state commission of inquiry.
Yaalon said Netanyahu initiated tensions with Türkiye by attacking an airport in northern Syria and "won" a U.S. condemnation over the move.
He made the accusation in a post on X, where he criticized what he described as Netanyahu's strategy of maintaining and expanding Israel's military conflicts.
Yaalon said Netanyahu was ultimately responsible for the Oct. 7 attack and the crisis that followed, claiming the prime minister needed the war to continue to avoid a state commission of inquiry and accountability.
On the Gaza front, Yaalon said U.S. President Donald Trump forced a "Board of Peace" involving Türkiye and Qatar, and a "15-point document" onto Netanyahu. Yaalon characterized the document as "bad for Israel."
Yaalon said that after the Oct. 7 attack, Netanyahu adopted what he called the view of "messianists" that the attack was a "miracle" that could be used to pursue a "Gog and Magog war."
He said the objective was to conquer the "Promised Land," from the Euphrates River in the north to the "Brook of Egypt" in the south, remove non-Jews and settle the territory with Jews.
In his post, Yaalon wrote: "To establish a coalition, he adopted the messianists' concept that 'Hamas is an asset and the [Palestinian] Authority is a burden,' that 'Hamas must be strengthened,' decided to finance Hamas with billions of Qatari dollars and thought this was a ‘calculated risk,’ as Yahya Sinwar told him, that would bring quiet."
"After the Oct. 7 massacre, he adopted the messianists' concept that this was a 'miracle' that could be exploited for a 'Gog and Magog war,' to conquer the 'Promised Land,' from the Euphrates River in the north to the Brook of Egypt in the south, to cleanse it of non-Jews and settle it with Jews," he wrote.
He stated that Netanyahu—whom he described as ultimately responsible for the Oct. 7 attack and the resulting crisis—needed the war to continue to avoid a state commission of inquiry and personal accountability.
"Therefore, he leaves all the war fronts open and tries to open new fronts," the former Israeli minister wrote.
On Lebanon, Yaalon said Trump was trying to impose an arrangement on Netanyahu that "could be good for Israel," but claimed the prime minister was avoiding it.
On Iran, Yaalon said Netanyahu sought to achieve a success that would compensate for his failures by trying to change the Iranian government. Yaalon described the result as a "farce" and said it had created a crisis with Trump.
"He tried to achieve an achievement that would atone for all his sins by changing the regime. It ended in a farce and in a crisis with President Trump, who accuses him of getting involved in an entanglement that harms the status of the U.S., harms the world economy and harms his political standing," Yaalon wrote.
Yaalon also accused Netanyahu of trying to inflame tensions in the occupied West Bank through what he called "pogromists" supported and encouraged by Israeli government ministers. He said Netanyahu was avoiding a "red card" issued by U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee and claimed the attacks were continuing.
Yaalon said Netanyahu was leaving all fronts open while seeking to create additional areas of conflict. He urged Israeli opposition leaders to concentrate their efforts on removing Netanyahu from office, arguing that doing so was necessary to save civilian and military lives and prevent further destruction.
Türkiye's Ministry of National Defense (MoND) stated on Thursday that no Turkish military delegation was present at Syria’s Abu al-Duhur airbase before or during Israel’s attack.
"We confirm that no Turkish military delegation was present at Syria's Abu al-Duhur airbase before or during the Israeli attack," the ministry said in response to reporters' questions. The ministry described the Israeli attack as an action aimed at harming Syria’s stability, security, unity and territorial integrity as well as its infrastructure.
"We emphasize at every opportunity that attacks violating Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are unacceptable," the ministry said, adding, "For the peace and stability of both Syria and the region, it is essential that Israel end such reckless attacks and fulfill its obligations under international law."
Türkiye said it would continue to support Syria’s efforts to build its infrastructure and military capacity under the "one army" principle.
Pakistan also strongly condemned the Israeli attack on Abu al-Duhur airbase in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province.
"Such provocative actions constitute a flagrant violation of international law, and have the potential to further undermine regional peace and stability," Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said.
Islamabad expressed its "unwavering" solidarity with Syria and reiterated its "full" support for the country’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, peace and prosperity.
Israeli warplanes carried out eight airstrikes early Tuesday targeting the runway at Abu al-Duhur Military Airport in Idlib province and damaged its infrastructure.
U.S. envoy to Syria Thomas Barrack described the Israeli strikes as an "unnecessary escalation that does not advance regional stability."
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