Israeli media says Turkey was ready to intervene over Kurdish incursion into Iran

Israeli media says Turkey was ready to intervene over Kurdish incursion into Iran

Submitted by
Nadav Rapaport
on
Tue, 07/21/2026 - 08:37

Report says Ankara considered providing aerial support to Tehran, while Trump claims he urged Erdogan to stay out of the war

Turkish Air Force aerobatic team Soloturk performs a demonstration flight over Istanbul's Sultanahmet Mosque, marking the 102nd anniversary of Victory Day in Istanbul on 30 August 2024 (Kemal Aslan/AFP)

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Israeli media has claimed that Turkey was prepared to provide Iran with aerial military support if Kurdish militias had invaded the country during the Israeli-US war on Iran earlier this year.

According to a report published on Sunday by Israeli public broadcaster Kan 11, Ankara warned it would act to prevent a Kurdish incursion into Iran, derailing an Israeli-US plan drawn up months before the war began in February.

Israeli sources told Kan 11 that Turkey came close to intervening in the conflict, with the option of providing Iran with aerial defence against Israeli and US air strikes under discussion.

The report linked the claim to recent comments by US President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly said he discouraged Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan from entering the conflict.

Speaking earlier this month at the Nato summit hosted by Erdogan in Ankara, Trump said Turkey "could have gotten into the fight", referring to the war with Iran.

"Maybe they didn't do that because of me," he told reporters.

It was not the first time Trump has suggested he prevented Erdogan, whom he has described as "my friend", from joining the conflict.

Last month, Trump told reporters at the White House that the Turkish president "was a prime candidate to go into the war with Iran - maybe on the Iran side, because he's not a big fan of Israel".

"I asked him to stay out. He stayed out," Trump added.

Turkey-Israel tensions 

As the US and Iran exchanged strikes for a 10th consecutive day, tensions between Israel and Turkey also appeared to be escalating, with Israeli officials increasingly portraying Ankara as a growing threat to their national security.

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Last month, Israel's i24News reported that Turkey thwarted the Israeli-US-backed Kurdish invasion of Iran, adding that Ankara's intervention derailed months of planning by the Mossad and the CIA.

According to a recent investigation by The New York Times, the proposed Israeli-US plan to support a Kurdish incursion into Iran formed part of a broader effort to topple the government in Tehran. The report said the plan also envisaged reinstating former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. 

Turkey's reported role during the conflict is not Israel's only concern. Officials have also watched with unease the warm relationship between Erdogan, a vocal critic of Israel, and Trump, viewing it as a sign of Turkey's growing regional and international influence.

Last week, the right-wing Israeli newspaper Makor Rishon warned that Turkey's influence "is no longer limited to the Eastern Mediterranean and Syria, but extends to the Horn of Africa, the Sahel and North Africa".

It cited Ankara's military presence, economic investments and diplomatic initiatives as evidence of its expanding reach.

On Monday, Kan 11 correspondents Roi Kais and Itay Blumental wrote on X that the "antisemitic" Erdogan was expanding Turkey's military and political influence in Egypt and Syria. They argued that Ankara was creating "a chokehold" around Israel.

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