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Several Israeli security officials warned that statements by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz targeting Türkiye could trigger an "unnecessary" escalation, according to Israeli broadcasters Channel 12 and Channel 13.
Tensions between Tel Aviv and Ankara deepened following an Israeli strike on a Syrian airbase.
Channel 12 said several security officials prefer not to push the dispute toward a broader public confrontation.
The warnings came as the Netanyahu government intensified its rhetoric against Ankara ahead of Knesset elections scheduled for Oct. 27, with Netanyahu and his Likud party increasingly invoking Türkiye and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in campaign rhetoric.
Channel 12 said the Israeli military had pushed for the Tuesday strike on the Abu al-Duhur Military Airbase in Idlib, about 70 kilometers (43.5 miles) from the Turkish border, as part of an effort to prevent Turkish entrenchment in Syria. Ankara stated that no Turkish military delegation was present at Syria's Abu al-Duhur airbase before or during Israel’s attack.
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani also rejected Israel's justification for striking a Syrian airbase this week, saying Damascus had informed Israel beforehand that there were no plans to establish a Turkish base or permanent military presence at the site.
Israeli security officials reportedly wanted the operation kept "under the radar," aiming to avoid direct confrontation with Ankara, and did not welcome the sharp public statements Netanyahu and Katz made afterward.
Katz had accused the Turkish president of "dragging Türkiye into dangerous adventures in Syria."
Netanyahu escalated further the following day.
Türkiye on Friday strongly rejected remarks by the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office targeting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, describing them as devoid of “historical facts and political seriousness.”
"The insolent rants of the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office targeting our President, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which are devoid of historical facts and political seriousness, are yet another indication of the helplessness of an administration seeking to evade accountability for war crimes and crimes against humanity," Türkiye's Communications Directorate said in a statement.
Security officials worried these statements could inflame the situation and unnecessarily damage relations.
The rift widened further Friday when Türkiye requested an Interpol "red notice" against Netanyahu, as part of an ongoing prosecution over Israel's attack on activists aboard the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla.
Netanyahu held a security discussion with senior officials amid concern over Turkish entrenchment in Syria, during which officials warned that "Türkiye is a rival state to Israel undergoing a shift, and may become an enemy state," according to Channel 13.
According to Israeli security sources who spoke to Channel 13, the discussion was held in a concerned tone, since Israel does not want Türkiye, as a regional power, to enter the fray as an "eighth front."
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