Israeli FM Likens Erdogan's 'Threats' to Saddam Hussein: He Should Remember What Happened

JAKARTA - Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz responded to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's 'threat' to enter Israel to help Palestine, comparing him to former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

"Erdogan is following Saddam Hussein's path and threatening to attack Israel. He should remember what happened there and how it ended," Foreign Minister Katz wrote in X, reported The Times of Israel on July 29.

Hussein's regime was overthrown by a military operation led by the United States in 2003. He was sentenced to death by an Iraqi court after being captured and tried.

As previously reported, President Erdogan said on Sunday that Turkey did not rule out entering Israel to help Palestine, saying there was no reason to say it could not be done.

He then said it was the same as what was done in Libya and Nagorno-Karabakh, although he did not explain what kind of intervention he meant.

"We have to be very strong so that Israel cannot do stupid things to Palestine. Just like we entered Karabakh, just like we entered Libya, we might do the same thing to them," President Erdogan said in a meeting with the ruling AK Party in his hometown of Rize, Reuters reported.

"There is no reason why we cannot do this. We must be strong so that we can take these steps," President Erdogan added in a televised speech.

President Erdogan's remarks appeared to refer to Turkey's past actions. In 2020, Turkey sent military personnel to Libya to support Libya's UN-recognized Government of National Accord.

Libyan Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah, who heads the Government of National Unity in Tripoli, is supported by Turkey.

Turkey, on the other hand, denies a direct role in Azerbaijan's military operation in Nagorno-Karabakh, but said last year that it was using "all means", including military training and modernization, to support its close ally.