Iran and Turkey want the Middle East. Israel stands in their way
Revisionist powers and Islamist networks have long viewed Israel not as a neighbor but as the central obstacle to reordering the Middle East. Arab states tried and failed in conventional wars. Broader rejectionist forces now pin their hopes on attrition and narrative victory. Turkey sees Israel’s removal as the final step toward restoring strategic depth across the Levant and the eastern Mediterranean. Iran treats it as the prerequisite for consolidating its land corridor to proxies and eliminating the chief barrier to its nuclear threshold and hegemonic claims.
TL;DR
- Iran and Turkey view Israel as the central obstacle to reordering the Middle East.
- Turkey's neo-Ottoman project requires Israel's removal to expand influence and restore strategic depth.
- Iran sees Israel's removal as a prerequisite for consolidating its land corridor and advancing its nuclear and hegemonic claims.
- This shifts the dynamic from Israel's historic periphery doctrine to former periphery powers targeting Israel.
- Iran leads with a Shiite model of missiles and disorder, while Turkey offers a Sunni imperial alternative with drones and political Islam.
- Qatar and Saudi Arabia are quieter contestants, using different methods to gain influence, with both aiming to replace Turkey as the center of Sunni power.