Israel’s Nagel Committee is urging the Israeli government to prepare for direct confrontation with Türkiye. The Nagel Committee is led by former National Security Council Chair Yaakov Nagel and since 2023 presents recommendations to the Ministry of Defense upon orders of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Their latest report disclosed by the Israeli media has gotten widespread coverage, including a report in the Jerusalem Post which wrote that the latest study “warns that Türkiye’s ambitions to restore its Ottoman-era influence could lead to heightened tensions with Israel, possibly escalating into conflict.… The report highlights the risk of Syrian factions aligning with Türkiye, creating a new and potent threat to Israel’s security.” The Nagel Committee report itself says: “The threat from Syria could evolve into something even more dangerous than the Iranian threat.”
The committee proposes increasing the defense budget by up to NIS15 billion annually over the next five years to ensure the IDF is equipped to handle challenges posed by Turkey, alongside other regional threats."We are witnessing fundamental changes in the Middle East. Iran has long been our greatest threat, but new forces are entering the arena, and we must be prepared for the unexpected,” Netanyahu said in response to the report. “This report provides us with a roadmap to secure Israel’s future.”
According to the Daily Sabah of Türkiye, the Nagel report follows a related warning by Türkiye that expansionist Israel may target Türkiye after Palestine and Lebanon. Last October, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned that the Netanyahu administration would not stop at Palestinian territories and would set its sights on other regional countries, namely Türkiye.
Erdogan said that Türkiye was “aware where Israel’s expansionist policies will ultimately target” and assured: “Türkiye will never compromise its security. We have the strength to burst their bubble.” Erdogan, one of the most virulent critics of Israel, has repeatedly called for unity among Muslim countries, arguing the current conflict was not between Israel and Palestine but “a fight between expansionist Zionism and Muslims defending their homeland.”
