Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova has stated that NATO would not support Turkey in the event of a direct escalation between Ankara and Israel. Zakharova made these remarks during an interview with the RT television channel, as reported by the Operative Information Center-OMM.
According to the diplomat, NATO's stance is fundamentally dictated by the policies and strategic interests of the United States. Zakharova emphasized that Washington views Israel as one of its closest allies, a factor she claims would play a decisive role in preventing the alliance from backing Turkey in any potential confrontation.
"There is a special alliance between the US and Israel in the spheres of security and international politics," Zakharova noted, suggesting that Ankara cannot rely on full NATO support in the event of heightened tensions. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), of which Turkey is a long-standing member, operates on the principle of collective defense, primarily focused on Article 5, which applies to attacks on alliance territory.
This geopolitical assessment follows recent diplomatic friction between Ankara and Tel Aviv. The Turkish Ministry of Justice has formally requested that the country's Interior and Foreign Ministries initiate procedures to issue an Interpol "red notice" for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. This legal move is widely viewed by international observers as a significant escalation in the diplomatic standoff between the two nations, further complicating the regional security landscape in the Middle East.