Former Israeli defense minister accuses Netanyahu of fueling tensions with Türkiye

Former Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon on Thursday accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of deliberately fueling tensions with Türkiye by attacking an airport in northern Syria.

Yaalon said on US social media company X that the attack drew condemnation from the US.

He accused Netanyahu of keeping Israel's war fronts open and trying to create new ones to avoid accountability over the Oct. 7 attack.

Yaalon described Netanyahu as ultimately responsible for the attack and Israel's subsequent crisis, claiming the premier needed the war to continue to prevent a state commission of inquiry.

After the Oct. 7 attack, Netanyahu adopted the view of what Yaalon called "messianists" that the attack was a "miracle" that could be exploited for a "Gog and Magog war," Yaalon claimed.

He alleged that the objective was to conquer the "Promised Land," from the Euphrates River in the north to the "Brook of Egypt" in the south, clear it of non-Jews and settle it with Jews.

On Syria, Yaalon argued that Israel had missed an opportunity following blows to Hezbollah and the Iranian presence.

In the Gaza Strip, Yaalon claimed US President Donald Trump had imposed a "Board of Peace," including Türkiye and Qatar, and a "15-point document" on Netanyahu.

He described the document as "bad for Israel."

On Lebanon, Yaalon claimed Trump was seeking to impose an arrangement on Netanyahu that "could be good for Israel," but that the Israeli premier was evading it.

On Iran, Yaalon claimed Netanyahu had sought to change the government to achieve a success that would make up for what he described as the premier's failures.

He described the outcome as a "farce" and claimed it had resulted in a crisis with Trump.

Yaalon further accused Netanyahu of trying to inflame tensions in the occupied West Bank through people he described as "pogromists," whom he accused of receiving support and encouragement from Israeli government ministers.

He said Netanyahu was disregarding what he called a "red card" from US Ambassador Mike Huckabee and claimed attacks were continuing.

Yaalon argued that the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem offered Netanyahu the best opportunity to ignite another war.

He called on Israeli opposition leaders to focus their efforts on removing Netanyahu from power to save the lives of civilians and soldiers and "prevent destruction."