The Strategic Objective The question is not whether Erdogan wants war with Israel, but what he is trying to achieve, what capabilities he possesses, and what price can be imposed on continued Turkish expansion. Israel's objective is neither war nor harm to Turkey. The objective is to create a balance of power that makes Ankara understand that continued confrontation with Israel is not worth the cost. The principle is simple: do not break Turkey. Change its calculations. What Does Erdogan Want? Erdogan wants to establish Turkey as the dominant regional power. Syria is central to this strategy. He seeks influence over the government in Damascus, strategic depth south of Turkey, containment of Kurdish power, and a strong presence in the Eastern Mediterranean and Cyprus. Israel complicates this strategy because it will not accept a situation in which Syria becomes a space where Turkish power limits Israel's freedom of action. The real struggle, therefore, concerns the future of Syria and the balance of power in the Eastern Mediterranean. Syria The growing Turkish presence in Syria is the main potential point of friction. If Ankara establishes significant military infrastructure there, including radar, air defense systems or military forces, Israel will have to take Turkish capabilities into account in every operation in the region. The incident at Abu al Duhur demonstrated how quickly this confrontation can move from a political dispute to a military problem. Turkey Is Different from Iran Turkey is a NATO member, a US ally and deeply integrated into the Western economy. Israel therefore cannot assume that Washington will automatically side with Israel in a confrontation with Ankara. The American interest will be to prevent a war between two countries that are both strategically important to the United States. This makes an independent Israeli balance of power necessary, but one that is not presented as an offensive alliance against Turkey. Building Israeli Strategic Depth