CONTINUED HEADLINE: Erdogan's Neo-Ottoman Ambitions: Turkey's Escalating Confrontation with Israel and Regional Power Plays GUEST NAME: Sinan Ciddi SUMMARY: Erdogan's Neo-Ottoman ambitions are driving Turkey to increasingly confront Israel through vilify
The John Batchelor Show
John Batchelor
4.5 • 2.8K Ratings
🗓️ 18 September 2025
⏱️ 7 minutes
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Summary
HEADLINE: Erdogan's Neo-Ottoman Ambitions: Turkey's Escalating Confrontation with Israel and Regional Power Plays
GUEST NAME: Sinan Ciddi
SUMMARY: Erdogan's Neo-Ottoman ambitions are driving Turkey to increasingly confront Israel through vilifying rhetoric, alleged support for Hamas cells, and a growing military footprint across the Mediterranean and Africa, risking miscalculation and armed conflict in Syria. Erdogan is pursuing Neo-Ottomanism, escalating tensions with Israelthrough vilifying rhetoric and alleged MIT involvement in Hamas plots. Turkey's military expansion, including bases in Somalia and northern Cyprus, and advanced weaponry like drones and hypersonic missiles, positions it to dominate the Mediterranean and challenge Israel. Miscalculation in Syria poses a risk of armed conflict.
1928 TURKEY
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| 0:23.8 | I'm John Batchel with my colleague, Sinan Chitty, of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracy, |
| 0:28.7 | head of the Turkey program. Sinan, during the end of the conflict in the north, |
| 0:36.9 | Hezbollah, when I retreated after the decap. |
| 0:39.6 | It was also reporting about Turkey moving into Syria. |
| 0:43.7 | I didn't follow it closely at the time, but I learned that there had been a request of the so-called |
| 0:49.9 | government in Damascus, Al-Shara, to take over or use an airfield in central Syria by the Turkish |
| 0:58.5 | Air Force. I'm not able to find another reference to that since then. To your knowledge, has that |
| 1:06.0 | happened? Is the Turkish military planted in central Syria now? Not now. Not at all. So the Turkish military planted in central Syria now? |
| 1:12.6 | Not now, not at all. |
| 1:20.7 | So the Turkish military is, as best estimates, guessing around 20s, somewhere in a region of 20,000 Turkish regular troops, are stationed across northern Syria's border with Turkey in different sort of military installations at the invitation |
| 1:27.7 | and acceptance of the Syria's government, right? |
| 1:31.6 | Turkey does have desires to essentially position Turkish warplanes closer to Damascus in central Syria, |
| 1:38.1 | as you suggest, and they were within hours of stationing some of their F-16 fighters |
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