Israeli navy chief warns Erdogan over Mediterranean, Red Sea moves

Israeli Navy Commander Eyal Harel has warned Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that any efforts to alter the balance of power in the Mediterranean and Red Sea are under close surveillance.

Harel stated that his forces would operate both openly and covertly to fulfill their responsibilities to Israel. Speaking at a naval officers’ graduation ceremony, he said, “We are monitoring your movements and preparing. We will act both in secret and in public.”

He added that the defense establishment has no difficulty reading between the lines amid rising tensions in the Mediterranean basin and Ankara’s ambitions. In the new maritime arena, he said, there is no longer a distant front. “For anyone seeking to challenge our country from far-off seas, distance will not protect those who aim to harm us.”

Harel continued, “The navy was built to project the power of Israel and its military to those who challenge it from thousands of miles away.” He added, “To those seeking to change the balance of power in the Mediterranean and Red Sea, we see these moves, we are monitoring and preparing for them. The navy will not accept any reality that threatens Israel’s freedom or its strategic interests in its national maritime domain.”