What comes after Doha.. Is Israel dragging the region into a catastrophic confrontation with Turkey?

The recent Israeli attack on the Qatari capital, Doha, and the subsequent widespread regional and international condemnations have sparked an escalating debate within Israeli circles regarding the next step that Benjamin Netanyahu's government may take.

The Hebrew newspaper Haaretz published a sharp article warning that Ankara may be Israel's next target, amid growing tensions with Turkey over Hamas activities. The article, titled "Turkey may be Israel's next target after Qatar.. the consequences are catastrophic," argued that any confrontation with Ankara would far exceed the risks associated with targeting Qatar.

The author of the article links the attack on Doha to the recent announcement by the Shin Bet regarding the thwarting of an assassination attempt on Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, attributed to a Hamas cell that originated from Turkish territory. Although Ankara denied any connection to the incident, questions are rising within Israel about the level of support Hamas receives in Istanbul, where it is believed to operate coordination and funding offices under the direct protection of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

The newspaper emphasizes that Turkey is fundamentally different from Qatar; it possesses the second-largest army in NATO, alongside its extensive influence in Syria, Libya, and the Eastern Mediterranean. Any military confrontation with it could quickly – according to the article – escalate from a limited conflict to a wide-ranging regional war, threatening Israel's international standing and losing the support of its Western allies.

The article adds that the deterioration in relations between Tel Aviv and Ankara has reached its peak since the fall of 2023, with Turkey closing its airspace to Israeli flights in August 2025 and halting economic cooperation, in protest of what it described as "genocide in Gaza." Additionally, President Erdoğan described the Israeli attack on Qatar as a "violation of international law," pledging to stand by the Palestinian people.

While reports in the Times of Israel indicated that Tel Aviv had postponed a similar operation in Turkey to avoid a direct clash with NATO, observers believe that internal pressures on Netanyahu's government may push it to risk opening a new front.

The attack on Doha, which occurred on September 9 and resulted in the deaths of six people – including the son of Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya and a member of the Qatari security – served as an early warning of the dangers of escalation. Will Israel move towards a broader confrontation with Turkey, with the military and geopolitical implications that could destabilize the entire region?