From lover to enemy: Turkey no longer hides its game against Israel | Avi Ashkenazi

Turkey is expanding its influence from Syria to Libya and the Mediterranean, while attempting to take control of vast maritime areas. Israel is drawing red lines, but according to the commentator, the key to preventing military friction lies with US President Donald Trump.

Turkey, under the leadership of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is extending its reach from Syria to Libya and the Mediterranean, in what commentator Avi Ashkenazi defines as a shift from "love" to enmity toward Israel. The Turks are working to take over large areas of the Mediterranean and turn them into Turkish economic waters, using the connection with Libya to seize a share of the economic waters and channel gas pipelines through them to Europe. The weakening of Iran after the coup in Syria and the severing of the Shiite axis allow Turkey to act toward realizing "the dream of the Turkish empire." Countries such as Jordan, Lebanon, Greece, Cyprus, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia fear the Turkish move. Israel, according to the commentator, has an opportunity to build regional coalitions, such as with Greece and Cyprus, but the Turks may respond on the Syrian front by establishing a Turkish military base overnight. The key to easing tensions, according to the article, lies in the White House: President Trump can limit the Turks in Syria and create a coordination mechanism between Israel and Turkey.