Why Turkey Is Emerging as a Far Bigger Military Challenge than Iran

Turkey is being described as a more dangerous military threat to Israel than Iran, in part because it has the second-largest army in NATO and a far more advanced defense-industrial base. According to the article, Turkey now produces about 80% of its own weapons, including a domestically developed, layered air-defense system.

Its armed forces are large and versatile, with the air force fielding about 200 aircraft, mainly F-16s and attack helicopters. The navy is highlighted as the main concern in any future clash with Israel, with 14 submarines, an amphibious assault ship, and frigates giving Ankara substantial maritime reach.

Turkey’s drones, especially the Bayraktar TB2, have gained a reputation for effectiveness in Nagorno-Karabakh, Libya, and Ukraine, and have become an export success sold to 34 countries, including Gulf states, African states, and countries in the Caucasus. The article says Turkey has also built military bases in Qatar, Somalia, northern Cyprus, Libya, and Syria, as well as footholds in Iraqi Kurdish areas.

Ankara maintains a direct military presence in northern Syria and Iraq to block Kurdish national ambitions tied to the PKK and its offshoots. It also trains for long-running fighting against Kurdish forces and for operations in Syria and Iraq that combine artillery, armor, and air power in urban and mountainous terrain. This strategy is tied to Turkey’s “Blue Homeland” doctrine, which seeks near-total maritime control of the eastern Mediterranean, the Aegean, and the Black Sea, and challenges the maritime claims of Greece and Cyprus, both of which have deepened security ties with Israel.