Minister Güler's statement: 'Of course Israel could attack Turkey': If the President did not see the danger

Minister Güler answered questions from Kübra Par on tv100:

THE TIMING OF THE TUSAŞ ATTACK IS SIGNIFICANT

Responding to the question, 'Do you find the timing of the TUSAŞ attack significant?', Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler stated,

"Of course I find the timing significant. In this incident, our domestic and national defense industry, which is vital to the peace of our country and nation, has been targeted. TUSAŞ, in particular, is the apple of our eye in the defense industry. Every product manufactured here emerges as a jewel of our defense industry and is highly sought after. We view them all as our future. Naturally, this attack is not a coincidence," he said.

"THERE ARE MANY COUNTRIES UNCOMFORTABLE WITH OUR DEFENSE INDUSTRY"

Regarding the question, 'Should the security of defense industry facilities be increased?', 

Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler said, "The name itself is security. When it comes to security, there is no limit. Today you provide 5 units of security. Tomorrow I think 6 units would be better. Our defense industry is the apple of our eye. Our country is currently experiencing excellent growth in defense industry exports. There are many countries uncomfortable with this. Without paying them any mind, we must absolutely improve our security measures every day. There is no end to security; security must be improved every day, every month, every year." 

"TUSAŞ MAY HAVE BEEN CHOSEN AS A TARGET FOR THIS REASON"

Responding to the question of which Turkish defense industry projects have caused the most discomfort abroad, Güler said,

"A new product emerges every day. There are excellent developments. Very intensive work is being carried out in every unit. They are working day and night. I certainly think that the products that cause the most discomfort are Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. Therefore, TUSAŞ may have been chosen as a target for this reason."

STEEL DOME AIR DEFENSE SYSTEM

Providing the latest updates on the Steel Dome, Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler stated: "The Steel Dome is not something where we will build a dome of steel in one day and hide under it. The Steel Dome is a system of systems. We have low-altitude air defense systems below, and almost all of them have been produced. We are already using them. We have medium-range air defense systems, and these are also being produced. Once we complete the numbers of our Siper, Hisar, and other low-altitude air defense systems, imagine that all of them are controlled by a single software; that is what we call the Steel Dome."

"IF WE ARE HURT, WE WILL HURT YOU"

Speaking in response to a question about what is known regarding the presence of the terrorist organization in Turkey and the latest information, Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler said:

"We had martyrs 5-6 months ago, and following that, we inflicted very heavy casualties, especially on the PYD in Syria. We shared this with our friends there, saying, 'Control your men; if we are hurt, we will hurt you.' And we did. We razed the facilities they built to the ground. If they do it again, we will do even more. We told them, 'It is up to them now.'" 

"THEY WILL NOT LAY DOWN THEIR ARMS, BUT THEY CAN BE MADE TO"

When asked whether the terrorist organization would lay down its arms, Güler replied,

"No terrorist organization is founded to lay down its arms. Naturally, they don't say, 'We are establishing this organization now, and we will lay down our arms in 3 years.' But they can be made to lay down their arms. Our duty is to find the methods that will force these terrorist organizations to lay down their arms, to pursue them vigorously, and ultimately force them to do so. Hopefully, we will see this happen. They think they will continue the comfort they have enjoyed for 40 years, but that will not be the case."

"WE HAD NO OPTION CALLED PEACE WITH THE PKK"

Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler: "I mentioned earlier that peace might come to the fore, etc. PKK members should not think that such a thing could apply to them. We have no option called peace with the PKK."

"ASSAD HAS NO POPULATION OF HIS OWN LEFT"

"What do you think will happen to the Free Syrian Army issue if there is a normalization with Assad?"

Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler said, "I think it is a very positive thing for Assad. Assad does not have a population of his own there anyway; if a Syrian state is to remain tomorrow, these are all its citizens."

"I ASSESS THAT TRUMP COULD WITHDRAW US TROOPS"

"Do you think the US will withdraw its troops from Syria?"

Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler said: "We already gave instructions for them to withdraw their troops from Syria three times during the Trump presidency. However, it was right on the eve of the elections at that time." 

TURKEY'S BORDER SECURITY

In response to the question, "What kind of wall have we built? It seems to me that very serious measures have been taken against those who say 'our borders have turned into a sieve'" 

Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler said: "We have an incredible physical border security system. Our defense industry plays a huge role here as well. Almost all of the products we use are domestic and national. In addition to these, there is a 4-meter wall, and on top of the wall, there is a system consisting of 1.80-meter razor wire fences. In front of and behind them, there is a 4-meter-wide trench. We always say this: We can take anyone who has good intentions and believes they will be proud of our borders and the soldiers there on a tour of our borders. It is impossible for anyone to cross. I am stating this clearly. We even offer to take those who publish images from other borders as if they were in Turkey and show them, saying 'let us take you, see for yourself'." 

THE PRESIDENT'S 'INTERNAL FRONT' WARNING

In response to the question, "Could there be a direct threat from Israel to Turkey? What should we understand from President Erdoğan's 'Internal Front' warning?"  

Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler said, "I am on the side that believes our President is very right. Because we always need an internal front. Even if we are in a peaceful environment, the strength of the internal front is to a country's advantage. That is why our President is warning the entire society. Because he sees this." 

Would Israel attack Turkey? If my President did not see such a danger, would he express such a thing? Of course, it could attack." he replied.