As Israel’s tightly contested October 27 general election approaches, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ramped up his political rhetoric by positioning Turkey as a new key adversary, a strategy that risks inflaming long-simmering regional tensions and creating friction with key Western allies. The controversial move comes as Netanyahu fights to hold onto power after more than two years of aggressive military campaigns against perceived hostile actors across the Middle East, with growing domestic criticism that he has failed to deliver on his core security promises.