Turkey 'prevented Kurdish invasion' of Iran during Israeli-US war
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Nadav Rapaport
on
Thu, 07/09/2026 - 09:36
Ankara pressured Washington not to back Kurdish fighters who were prepared to invade, according to Israeli media
Iranian Kurdish fighters during routine military exercises in Koya, in the autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq (AFP)
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Turkey thwarted an Israeli and US-backed incursion of Kurdish forces into Iran during the war on Iran earlier this year, Israel's i24News reported on Wednesday.
According to the report, Kurdish militias were ready to launch an attack on Iran, but the US halted the operation due to pressure from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Senior Israeli sources, who spoke with i24News, said the Kurdish operation was planned for months by US intelligence agencies.
The sources refused to state the exact nature of any involvement by Mossad, Israel's foreign intelligence agency.
They added that the preparations included meetings with Kurdish militia groups, weapon transfers to fighters and military training.
According to the sources, Kurdish militias received weapons a week before the planned attack, but by the time they were ready to launch their invasion the US vetoed the idea.
Israeli officials speaking to i24News accused US Vice President JD Vance of leaking details of the US-Israel-backed operation to Turkey. They claimed people close to Vance informed Ankara about the imminent Kurdish attack, and that Turkish officials immediately worked to put an end to it.
Ankara has fought Kurdish separatists within its own borders, as well as in Iraq and Syria. A collapse of the central government in Tehran would present a new concern on its southeastern border.
Israeli contact with Kurdish separatists
In March, the New York Times reported that Hakan Fidan, Turkey's foreign minister, warned US Secretary of State Marco Rubio against supporting a Kurdish operation in Iran.
The planned invasion was reportedly an instrumental part of Israeli and US plans for regime change in Iran.
Separately, CNN reported in March that the CIA provided military support for Kurdish armed groups along the Iran-Iraq border for months before the Israelis and the US launched their joint attack on Iran in late February.
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Reuters also reported last March that Israeli intelligence was in contact with Kurdish militias stationed on the Iran-Iraq border for a year before the war.
After the conflict began, Israel reportedly bombed areas in western Iran to enable a Kurdish incursion, which never happened.
Meanwhile, a low-level conflict between Iran and Kurdish armed groups continues.
Last week, Iran killed five members of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan armed group in the country's northwest. According to Iranian reports, Kurdish militia entered Iranian territory near Piranshahr in West Azerbaijan province, where they were killed by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.
The report by i24News comes amid rising tensions between Israel and Turkey. Last week, Fidan told CNN Turk that "Israel is not just my problem; Israel is the world's problem.”
There is a growing concern in Israel about a possible conflict with Turkey, with Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli telling Israel's Kan 11 on Thursday that a scenario in which Turkey attacks Israel is "entirely possible”.
On Wednesday, Channel 12 News reported that Israel's security establishment has warned the government about the growing influence of Turkey in Syria, Lebanon and other parts of the Middle East, claiming Turkey is trying to create a "chokehold" around Israel.
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