Tensions between Israel and Turkey are escalating sharply, with a war of words between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reaching new heights and placing President Donald Trump in an increasingly delicate position between the two sides as tension escalates. 

The latest flare-up underscores a broader geopolitical clash about Iran, Gaza and regional influence, even as Washington attempts to maintain cooperation with both sides.

Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan accused Israel of deliberately seeking a new adversary following its confrontation with Iran, saying the Israeli government is attempting to portray Ankara as its next enemy.

"After Iran, Israel cannot live without an enemy," Fidan said in a televised interview with the state-run Anadolu news agency. "We see that not only Netanyahu’s administration but also some figures in the opposition — though not all — are seeking to declare Turkey the new enemy," he said.

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The rhetoric reflects a sharp deterioration in relations that have been strained since Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack and the war in Gaza, but have now escalated into direct confrontation between the two leaders.

Netanyahu, in remarks posted on X Saturday, accused Erdogan of siding with Iran and its proxies, writing that Israel "will continue to fight Iran’s terror regime… unlike Erdogan who accommodates them and massacred his own Kurdish citizens."

Erdogan has intensified his criticism of Israel’s military campaign, accusing its leadership of war crimes and backing international legal action against Israeli officials.

In one of the most incendiary exchanges, Turkey’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement claiming, "Netanyahu, who has been described as the Hitler of our time due to the crimes he has committed, is a well-known figure with a clear track record. An arrest warrant has been issued against Netanyahu by the International Criminal Court on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Under Netanyahu’s administration, Israel is facing proceedings before the International Court of Justice on charges of genocide."

The escalation has not been limited to rhetoric. Erdogan previously has suggested Turkey could take more assertive military action in the region, referencing past interventions, remarks that have raised alarms in Israel.

Israeli officials have responded forcefully. 

Defense Minister Israel Katz has dismissed Erdogan’s threats as bluster, while officials warn that Turkey’s regional posture, particularly its engagement in Syria, is being closely monitored.

For both leaders, analysts say, the escalation also serves domestic goals. For Trump, the situation presents a growing challenge.

The administration relies on Israel as a central partner in confronting Iran, while also depending on Turkey, a NATO ally, for regional diplomacy and mediation efforts tied to ceasefire negotiations and broader Middle East strategy.

That balancing act has become increasingly difficult as tensions between Jerusalem and Ankara intensify.

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Gönül Tol, senior fellow at the Middle East Institute and author of "Erdogan’s War: A Strongman’s Struggle at Home and in Syria," told Fox News Digital, "The Trump administration has played a role in making sure the two countries do not clash in Syria. How Turkey and Israel are managing their differences in Syria, where stakes are high for Erdogan, is telling. But this doesn't mean the two will try to undermine each other's interests from the eastern Mediterranean to Levant to Horn of Africa."

"I think for both leaders, Netanyahu and Erdogan, escalating rhetoric serves a domestic purpose," Gönül added, "Anti-Israeli and pro-Palestinian sentiment in Turkey is very strong. At a time when Erdogan is struggling to resolve the country's growing economic problems, responding to Netanyahu's statements harshly scores points domestically and burnishes his strong leader image. But I do not think this rhetoric will turn into direct military clashes between the countries. Despite their military presence and clashing interests, Turkey and Israel have a quiet understanding where each accepts the other's sphere of influence in the country and try to deconflict."

In a policy webinar hosted by the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, Turkish academic Hüseyin Bağcı argued Turkey's ties with Washington limit the likelihood of direct conflict.

"The Turkish state is not interested in fighting with Israel because the Turkish government has very good relations with the United States of America," he said. "You cannot be good with America and then be in conflict with Israel."

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From the Israeli perspective, however, concerns center on actions rather than rhetoric.

Retired Israeli strategist Gabi Siboni said Turkey's behavior in Syria is shaping threat perceptions. 

"I don’t know what Erdogan thinks. I know what he does, and I see what we see in our area," Siboni said in the webinar, adding, "There are true security concerns when we’re talking about what is happening in Syria. … Israel is not going to accept any type of military entrenchment of foreign actors."

Bağcı maintained that the tensions are largely political. 

"There is no structural conflict between Israel and Turkey," he said. "The rhetoric is political … but the geography and the interests remain."

The tensions are also being fueled by renewed friction over Gaza-bound aid flotillas, a long-standing flashpoint in Israel–Turkey relations.

A new Turkish-linked flotilla departed from Barcelona Monday, raising concerns in Israel about a repeat of past confrontations. The issue carries deep historical weight: in 2010, Israeli commandos boarded the Gaza flotilla raid, in which 10 were killed, triggering a years-long diplomatic rupture between the two countries.

Recent reports that Turkish prosecutors are seeking prison sentences for Israeli officials, including Benjamin Netanyahu, over flotilla-related incidents have further escalated tensions, reinforcing how unresolved grievances continue to inflame the current crisis.

While the confrontation remains largely rhetorical for now, the sharp escalation in language, and the competing interests driving it, highlight the fragility of the regional landscape and the limits of Washington’s ability to keep both sides aligned.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Turkish Embassy in Washington, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office, and the White House but did not receive a response in time for publication.

A former student injured at least 16 people Tuesday after opening fire with a shotgun inside a high school in Turkey before turning the weapon on himself, officials said. 

The 18-year-old who targeted the vocational high school in Siverek, located in southeastern Turkey, took his own life with the shotgun after he was "cornered by police," Gov. Hasan Sildak said. 

Video taken at the scene showed students sprinting out of a building as law enforcement and first responders arrived. 

The attack left 10 students, four teachers, a school canteen employee and a police officer hurt, according to Sildak, who added that five of the teachers and students were transferred to a hospital in the provincial capital because their conditions were more serious.

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The motive for the shooting was unclear. The attacker did not have a criminal record, Sildak said.  

The school had been declared safe and no permanent police officer was assigned to protect it, he added, calling the shooting an "isolated incident." 

Sildak told NTV that the attacker started firing indiscriminately, beginning in the school yard before entering the building, Reuters reported.

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One student told the state-run Anadolu Agency that he and a friend jumped out of their classroom window to flee the gunman. 

"He suddenly entered the classroom and fired. He fired four or five times. Two people were hit. He then went into the next classroom," Anadolu quoted Omer Furkan Sayar as saying. "We first threw ourselves to the ground and then two of us jumped out of the window." 

"He didn't say anything, he entered and started to shoot directly," Sayar added.

"The individual was cornered inside the building through police intervention and died after shooting himself," Sildak told reporters, adding that a "comprehensive" investigation into the shooting would be carried out. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

A gunfight with police outside the Israeli consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, left one attacker dead, two others injured and two police officers sustaining minor injuries.

The armed attackers had ties to an activist group that "exploits religion," according to Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci on X.

"The identities of the terrorists have been identified," he wrote in a post translated by X. "It has been determined that the individuals, who arrived in Istanbul by a rental vehicle from Izmit, include one with ties to an organization that exploits religion; and it has also been established that one of the two terrorists, who are brothers, has a drug record."

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U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack condemned the attack and praised Turkish authorities.

"The United States condemns in the strongest terms today’s attack on the Israeli Consulate in Istanbul," Barrack wrote on X. "Attacks on diplomatic missions are attacks on the international order — and an assault on the principles that bind nations together. We commend Türkiye and Turkish security forces for their swift and decisive response."

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Police officers pulled out guns and took cover as shots rang out for at least 10 minutes near a permanent security checkpoint near the Israeli Consulate in Istanbul. One person was seen covered in blood amid the glass towers in the heart of the city's main financial district.

Footage obtained by Reuters showed an apparent attacker, in a dark top and carrying a backpack, moving among parked white police and security buses and firing with an automatic rifle and a handgun.

Two bodies lay on nearby streets and parking areas, near grassy areas.

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Two police officers were lightly wounded in the attack, Istanbul Governor Davut Gul told reporters at the scene.

He said there had been no Israeli diplomatic staff at the consulate for 2-1/2 years, since the Hamas-Israel war began in 2023, leading to a deep chill in Turkish-Israeli diplomatic ties.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry confirmed there were no staff at the consulate at the time of the shootings.

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The incident occurred next to a major motorway just after midday, immediately outside the tower where the Israeli Consulate is located. The gunfire echoed inside nearby bank headquarters, where thousands of workers were breaking for lunch.

Turkey, a fierce critic of Israel's military operations in Gaza, had recalled its ambassador from Israel in November 2023 and diplomatic relations have been effectively frozen since then.

At the same time that year, Israeli diplomats left Turkey due to security concerns after pro-Palestinian protests erupted across the country and in front of the consulate. Since then, a heavily armed police presence has been maintained in the area near the consulate.

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

FIRST ON FOX: A new report is raising concerns about Turkey’s role in the Middle East, arguing that under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the country has moved away from its traditional Western alignment and toward deeper engagement with Islamist movements, including the Muslim Brotherhood.

The Foundation for Defense of Democracies report, led by senior fellow Sinan Ciddi and titled "Islamist Domination of Turkey: A Forward Base for Muslim Brotherhood-Aligned Jihadism," argues that Turkey has ties to Hamas — the U.S.-designated terrorist group responsible for the Oct. 7 massacre — as well as to the Muslim Brotherhood — an Islamist movement whose affiliates have recently been designated as terrorist organizations by the United States — placing Turkey’s policies under renewed scrutiny as it prepares to host a NATO summit.

Ciddi told Fox News Digital the shift reflects a broader transformation in how Turkey defines threats.

"What we have is Turkey has completely rewritten the rules of how you interpret what a jihadist terrorist entity may be," Ciddi said. "Erdoğan has reinvented what is interpreted as a terrorist entity … groups such as Hamas or al-Nusra fall into line with his pan-Islamist view of the world."

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A central focus of the report is Turkey’s relationship with Hamas, which the United States designates as a terrorist organization, and yet Hamas expanded its presence in Turkey after 2011, establishing offices and networks inside the country.

"From 2011 onward … Hamas used this opportunity inside of Turkey with a friendly government to establish offices, engage in recruitment (and) fundraising," Ciddi said.

U.S. authorities have taken action against some of those networks. The Treasury Department has designated Hamas-linked individuals and entities operating in Turkey, a point Ciddi said underscores longstanding concerns.

"The United States Treasury has been tracking and designating Hamas-affiliated NGOs and individuals inside of Turkey," he said.

The report also alleges that some Hamas operatives have been able to travel using Turkish-issued documents and that senior figures have been publicly received by Erdoğan.

Beyond Hamas, the report describes Turkey as a hub for Muslim Brotherhood figures from across the region, including Egypt and Yemen, many of whom relocated there following crackdowns in their home countries.

Across parts of the Arab world, the Muslim Brotherhood has been banned or restricted for years. 

Egypt outlawed the movement in 2013, accusing it of inciting unrest and undermining state institutions. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates later designated it a terrorist organization, describing it as a threat to national stability, while Bahrain adopted a similar stance. 

Jordan dissolved its local chapter this year following arrests authorities said were linked to illicit weapons activity.

Some European countries also have taken steps targeting networks linked to the movement. 

Austria, for example, has pursued legal action against individuals and organizations it says are connected to Brotherhood-linked activity as part of its counter-extremism policies.

Officials in these countries have argued that the Brotherhood operates through a mix of religious outreach, political activism, charitable organizations and media platforms to influence public opinion and challenge state authority.

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The report also examines Turkey’s role in Syria, where the country backed opposition forces during the civil war, supporting a range of armed factions, including groups that later formed the Syrian National Army.

"The Syrian National Army … was a hodgepodge collection of militias that Turkey directly armed, paid and organized," he said.

The report links Turkish support to groups such as al-Nusra and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, raising questions among analysts about whether such ties could expose Turkish officials to potential sanctions under U.S. law.

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Despite these concerns, other analysts say Turkey’s relationship with the United States continues to act as a constraint on its behavior, while the relationship between Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been characterized by renewed trust, with Trump praising Erdoğan's role in Gaza diplomacy.

As Trump celebrated the Gaza ceasefire agreement in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt in October 2025, he singled out one leader for extraordinary praise — Erdoğan, whose leadership he credited for helping deliver the Gaza ceasefire.

"A guy who’s been a friend of mine for a long time. I don’t know why I like the tough people better than the soft, easy ones," Trump said about Erdoğan at the Sharm el-Sheikh summit in October 2025. "This gentleman from a place called Turkey is one of the most powerful in the world … He’s a tough cookie — but he’s my friend."

Hişyar Özsoy, a Turkish politician and academic, described the relationship between Erdoğan and Trump as "transactional," noting Washington often relies on Turkey for regional coordination.

In a policy webinar hosted by the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, Turkish academic Hüseyin Bağcı emphasized that Ankara remains closely tied to Washington.

"The Turkish state is not interested in fighting with Israel because the Turkish government has very good relations with (the) United States of America," he said. "You cannot be good with America and then be in conflict with Israel."

Bağcı also suggested Turkey has at times limited Islamist actors domestically.

"Today do you hear anything about" the Muslim Brotherhood, he said. "No … because the president said stop." 

Turkey, a NATO member since 1952, remains a key partner for the United States, providing logistical access, military capabilities and diplomatic reach.

But Ciddi argued Turkey's current trajectory increasingly diverges from alliance priorities.

"There is an established track record … where Turkey significantly undermines the transatlantic alliance’s core security concerns," he said.

He pointed to U.S. sanctions on Turkish entities accused of supplying dual-use goods to Russia, as well as Ankara’s broader strategy of maintaining ties with competing powers.

As far as Turkey’s positioning itself amid tensions with Iran, Ciddi said Turkey is likely to favor a weakened Iranian regime rather than a complete collapse that could produce a more pro-Western government. 

"A weakened Iranian regime is Erdoğan’s safest bet," he said.

Bağcı offered a similar assessment of the rivalry.

"Iran is not an enemy of Turkey, but not necessarily its best friend. Turkey and Iran are two regional competitors," he said.

The report recommends potential U.S. policy responses, including sanctions and increased scrutiny of Turkey’s financial system, steps that could reshape relations between Washington and Ankara.

Fox News Digital reached out multiple times to the Turkish government and to the State Department for comment but did not receive a response in time for publication.