Former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant Warns Turkey Could Become Israel’s Next Major Challenge
Former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has warned that Turkey could emerge as the next major regional power to challenge Israel if Iran’s influence weakens.
“You have to understand that if Iran becomes weaker, a power vacuum will emerge in the Middle East,” Gallant said. “That vacuum will not remain empty, because another country will fill it.”
According to Gallant, Turkey is among the countries best positioned to fill that vacuum.
“Turkey is a powerful country with a major imperial history and heritage, and it has a clear strategy to expand its influence across the Middle East,” he said.
Gallant also pointed to Turkey’s strategic geographic position between Europe and Asia, its large military, strong defense industry, workforce and industrial economy as key sources of its regional power.
“The problem is that Turkey is not waiting for Iran to weaken before taking action. It has already begun expanding its influence across various countries and areas of the region,” Gallant warned.