Envoy Barrack: Israel 'way too smart' to pick a real fight with Türkiye

U.S. Ambassador to Türkiye Tom Barrack said at a security forum in Doha that he does not believe Israel or Türkiye wants a direct clash, but warned that an Israeli strike near the Turkish border could have spiraled.

U.S. Ambassador to Türkiye Tom Barrack said Israel is "way too smart to actually pick a real fight with Türkiye," downplaying the risk of a direct military clash between the two countries. "I don't think Israel wants that, I know Türkiye does not want that," he told the 8th Global Security Forum in Doha, Qatar, on Tuesday.

Barrack warned, however, that Israel's Aug. 18 strike on the Abu al-Duhur air base in Syria could have escalated. "Türkiye was not informed of Israeli jets coming," he said. "Türkiye could have, very quickly, sent its jets, and all of a sudden we're in another situation." On Israeli operations in Syria, he said: "It's time to stop it."

Tom Barrack speaks at the Global Security Forum in Doha

Asked about the Mecca defense pact, Barrack raised questions about what it would mean if Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and possibly Egypt joined forces against the Houthis, adding that President Trump supports Saudi Arabia but that U.S. involvement in ground combat "seems fruitless."

"What's happening in this administration is not an abandonment. It's a message for realignment," Barrack said of Washington's role in the region.