Yoni Ben Menachem, senior researcher at the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, warns that Turkey is building strategic capabilities reminiscent of the Iranian model: “They are strengthening themselves with long-range missiles exactly as Iran did.”
According to him, the development of Turkey’s new missile with a range of approximately 6,000 km reflects Ankara’s broader regional ambitions. “Erdogan is preparing for the day after the collapse of the regime in Tehran and wants to fill the vacuum at the head of a new Sunni axis,” he says.
Ben Menachem also warns of growing escalation in Lebanon, arguing that Hezbollah may attempt to seize control of Beirut once again: “If political pressure is not enough, it could move toward an internal coup as it has done in the past.”
He says the Lebanese army would struggle to confront the organization due to internal sympathy among Shiite soldiers for Hezbollah’s goals.
