Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard has suggested that Turkiye and Egypt could be Israel’s next military targets, echoing a growing Israeli narrative that increasingly casts Ankara as the “new Iran” and a future strategic enemy.
Speaking on an Arutz Sheva podcast, Pollard said Israel should prepare for wider regional wars following its confrontation with Iran. “I’m not so sure that we will have as easy a time with the Turks as we’ve had with the Iranians,” he said. “We have to be prepared for the next war, which will probably be against Turkiye and Egypt. The storm is coming.”
Pollard also warned Israel against allowing the Turkish-backed transitional government in Syria to regain control of southern areas occupied by Israeli forces, arguing that such a move would place “the Turks on our border”. His comments come amid growing Israeli concern over Turkiye’s role in Syria and its expanding regional influence.
The remarks are consistent with a wider Israeli effort to reframe Turkiye as a major military threat. Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has described Turkiye, with Qatari support, as replacing Iran as Israel’s main strategic challenge, while Israeli security circles have warned of possible direct confrontation with Ankara in Syria. Analysts have cautioned that framing Turkiye as the “new Iran” risks turning rivalry into open confrontation.
An Israeli government-appointed committee warned in January 2025 of a possible direct confrontation with Turkiye in Syria, describing Ankara as a “new regional threat” to Israeli interests. The report was submitted to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defence Minister Israel Katz and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich as part of Israel’s security planning.
Egypt has also appeared more frequently in Israeli threat assessments. In February an Israeli analysis warned of an emerging Turkish-Egyptian alignment forming what it described as a “Sunni ring” around Israel, reflecting concern in Tel Aviv over closer coordination between two states that have historically maintained relations with Israel but have sharply criticised its genocide in Gaza.
Pollard, a former US Navy intelligence analyst, was sentenced to life in prison in 1987 for passing classified US material to Israel, in one of the most damaging espionage cases between the two allies. He was paroled in 2015 after serving 30 years.
Successive Israeli governments campaigned for Pollard’s release, and Netanyahu personally greeted him when he arrived in Israel in 2020 after the end of his parole restrictions. Netanyahu met Pollard and his wife at Ben Gurion Airport, presented him with an Israeli identity card and told him: “Welcome home. Now you are a citizen of the State of Israel.”
Since settling in Israel, Pollard has aligned himself with the Israeli far right. He has been welcomed as a national hero and has become a vocal supporter of the Israeli right, including calls for the annexation and settlement of Gaza.
Pollard has also urged Jews to spy for Israel. After being freed, the convicted spy called for more Americans to betray their country, following an interview in which he argued that Jews outside Israel should prioritise loyalty to the occupation state.
