'Israel' needs to adapt to Turkey’s influence in Syria: Israeli media

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Israeli media
12 Apr 2025 13:44

The Times of Israel's Palestinian and Arab world correspondent says Turkey seeks to play the role of a strong state that Syria needs to emerge from the chaos following the fall of the previous regime.

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, shakes hands with Syria's interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa during a joint press conference following their meeting at the presidential palace in Ankara, Turkey, Feb. 4, 2025 (AP)

"Israel" will need to adapt to Turkey’s growing influence in Syria, suggested Nurit Yohanan, The Times of Israel's Palestinian and Arab world correspondent, in an opinion piece published on Friday.

Yohanan indicated that Turkey seeks to play the role of a strong state that Syria needs in order to emerge from the chaos following the fall of the previous regime.

She considered that amid Ankara's ambitions and the support it enjoys from the United States, "there’s little Israel can do beyond insisting on red lines."

“Ultimately, when it comes to Syria, Turkey simply cares more about it than Israel does, and invests accordingly. Israel’s interest in Syria is purely security-oriented,” explained Gallia Lindenstrauss, a researcher at the Israeli Institute for National Security Studies (INSS).

She added that US President Donald Trump's support for Erdogan also restricts "Israel's" ability to maneuver.

Lindenstrauss recalled that Trump made it clear during his recent meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House that he is willing to assist "Israel" in dealing with Turkey but underscored that "Israel" must present "reasonable demands".

This comes a couple of days after Israeli airstrikes hit three Syrian airbases reportedly eyed by Turkey for future use.

The assault prompted rare public comments from Ankara on its activities in Syria, with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan telling Reuters that his country "has no interest" in fighting any side on Syrian territory.

Later, Fidan disclosed in an interview with CNN Turk that Turkiye and "Israel" are engaged in technical-level discussions aimed at preventing “military confrontations” in Syria.

Ankara’s strategic vision for post-Assad Syria

Yohanan noted that Turkey's relationship with Syria’s new leadership has been years in the making.

“Turkey was a friend to Syria and supported it from the start of the revolution — Syria will not forget this,” the country’s interim president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, said on December 22, 2024, during a joint press conference with Fidan at the presidential palace in Damascus.

The report mentioned that before declaring himself president, al-Sharaa led the Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham — an al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria. Al-Sharaa cut ties with al-Qaeda several years ago and has sought to portray himself as a moderate since taking power, though "Israel" has expressed serious doubts.

While Turkey officially designates HTS and al-Qaeda as terrorist organizations and has never maintained formal diplomatic or economic ties with them, it has long been thought to offer varying degrees of support to Syrian armed factions since the early days of the war in 2011, according to Yohana.

Turkey’s backing became very public following the swift success of the offensive that ousted President Bashar al-Assad. It was the second country visited by al-Sharaa in his new role, following a trip to Saudi Arabia.

According to the correspondent, Turkey’s interest in Syria has been clear since the outbreak of the war: to ensure a stable, friendly regime on its eastern border, one that could even potentially support Ankara’s security interests.

Lindenstrauss considered that “Turkey has vast ambitions regarding Syria,” including blocking terrorists and armed Kurdish groups originating from Syrian soil..

"On the economic front, Turkey doesn’t want to bear the cost of Syria’s reconstruction, but it does want Turkish companies to rebuild the country and reap the rewards," she added.

“And then there’s the refugee issue: Syria hosted millions of refugees during the war, which has become a burning issue in Turkish domestic politics. A stable Syria is key to Ankara’s goal of returning those refugees.”

Nonetheless, Yohanan underscored that "Israel" remains concerned about the military aspect of Turkey’s deepening involvement in Syria.

The Israeli correspondent noted that just a week after al-Assad’s ouster, Turkey's defense minister stated that Ankara was ready to provide military assistance to Syria’s new government if requested.

Reuters also reported that a strategic Syrian-Turkish partnership would include a defense alliance, Turkish-led training for the new Syrian army, and even Turkish airbases on Syrian soil.