On Sunday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan threatened military intervention in Israel to halt the conflict in Gaza, marking a significant escalation in rhetoric from NATO’s second-largest military.

During a meeting with his Justice and Development Party (AKP), Erdoğan declared that Turkey “must be very strong so that Israel can’t do these ridiculous things to Palestine.”

“Just like we entered Karabakh, just like we entered Libya, we might do similar to them,” he said, according to a Reuters report.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz responded by suggesting Erdoğan would face a similar fate as Iraq’s former president, Saddam Hussein, who was executed in 2006.

“Erdoğan follows in the footsteps of Saddam Hussein and threatens to attack Israel. Just let him remember what happened there and how it ended,” Katz said in a message that included a picture of Erdoğan and the former Iraqi leader.

Digital could not immediately reach the U.S. State Department, the Turkish Embassy in Washington, D.C., or NATO for comment on how they are addressing the heightened tensions between the NATO nation and the West’s top ally in the Middle East.

The Turkish president’s threats come as Israel faces increasing aggression from Iran-backed Islamic militants, including Hamas, Houthi and Hezbollah terrorist groups.

Erdoğan did not specify what Turkish military intervention would entail, though he did mention the need to end the war in Gaza.

“There is no reason why we cannot do this…We must be strong so that we can take these steps,” Erdogan told AKP party officials.

The Turkish leader seemed to be referencing military action Ankara took in 2020 when it sent troops to support the U.N.-recognized Government of National Accord of Libya during its civil war, which began in 2014.

Turkey has denied direct involvement in Azerbaijan’s military action in its Nagorno-Karabakh region, where it claims to be carrying out “anti-terror” operations against Armenian rebels. However, in 2023, Ankara reportedly said it was using “all means” to support its ally, including through military training.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not publicly responded to Erdoğan’s comments, though he and the Turkish leader have routinely exchanged harsh criticisms over the years.

Both Netanyahu and Erdoğan have accused each other of being like Adolf Hitler, referencing Turkey’s long-running conflict against Kurdish militants and Israel’s actions against Palestinians.