Israeli newspaper Maariv has claimed that Turkey poses a greater and more dangerous threat to Israel than Iran, citing Ankara’s possession of NATO’s second largest military and its achievement of nearly 80 per cent self-sufficiency in defence production.
The assessment appeared in an article published on Monday, which reviewed Turkey’s rapid advances in defence industries and military capabilities over recent years.
The article also touched on what it described as a decline in alignment between Washington and Tel Aviv. According to the newspaper, Israel has yet to recover from the shock of US President Donald Trump’s changing position on some of its security requirements along its northern borders, only to find itself facing what may be an even more serious challenge in the form of Turkey.
Expanding Military Capabilities
The Israeli newspaper highlighted the scale of Turkey’s armed forces, noting that the country possesses a large number of tanks, including the domestically developed Altay main battle tank.
It also pointed to Ankara’s success in building an advanced defence industry capable of producing most of the country’s military requirements locally, alongside the development of a multilayered air defence system based on indigenous technology.
According to Maariv, the Turkish Air Force operates around 200 aircraft, the majority of them F-16 Fighting Falcons, in addition to a fleet of multi-role attack helicopters.
The newspaper argued that the most significant threat in any potential confrontation with Israel could come from Turkey’s naval forces, which include 16 submarines, several frigates and the amphibious assault ship TCG Anadolu.
The article further noted that the Turkish military has accumulated extensive operational experience over decades of fighting armed groups, as well as through its involvement in military operations in Syria and Iraq.
According to the report, these operations have provided Turkish forces with considerable experience in urban warfare and combat in difficult mountainous terrain.
