Erdogan backs Syria’s al-Sharaa, slams Israeli destabilization
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Turkey's Erdogan pledges support for Syrian President al-Sharaa, praises Druze ceasefire efforts, and accuses "Israel" of obstructing peace in southern Syria.
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan makes a speech during a military parade marking the 51st anniversary of the 1974 Turkish invasion in the Turkish-occupied area, in the divided capital of Nicosia, Cyprus, Sunday, July 20, 2025 (AP)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has vowed not to "leave Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa alone," reaffirming his opposition to any plans to divide Syria and emphasizing that the country's recovery serves Turkey’s interests.
Speaking to Turkish media outlets, Erdogan praised al-Sharaa for his "firm stance and refusal to compromise" in the face of recent developments, particularly in relation to "Israel." He commended the Syrian leader for reaching what he described as "a very positive understanding" with the Druze factions in southern Syria.
"President al-Sharaa has taken a resolute position on the latest events in his country and has not made any concessions," Erdogan stated.
Government managed to restore control in Sweida
The Turkish president noted that the Syrian government had managed to reestablish a degree of control in Sweida and across southern Syria with the deployment of around 2,500 troops. He claimed that all Druze factions except one agreed to uphold a ceasefire during negotiations held in Amman, Jordan.
Erdogan also accused "Israel" of working to undermine regional peace. “Israel continues its provocations and has no interest in seeing stability in the region,” he said. “A united Syria does not serve Israel’s agenda.”
He added that the international community must be made fully aware of "Israel's" efforts to obstruct a stabilization process in Syria.
Erdogan further warned that the United States now realizes it must exercise more "control" over the evolving crisis, cautioning that the central issue lies in how "Israel" is using the ongoing clashes as a pretext to seize Syrian territory.
Discussions underway over Sweida
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held urgent phone discussions with his Syrian counterpart, Asaad al-Shaibani, and US Ambassador and Special Envoy for Syria, Tom Barrack, to address the deteriorating situation in southern Syria, a Turkish diplomatic source confirmed to RIA Novosti on Sunday.
“During the talks, the situation in Syria was discussed, and an assessment was made of the meetings in Amman regarding the situation in the south of the country,” the source said.
The conversations follow a high-level meeting in Amman on Saturday, where Barrack met with Syrian and Jordanian officials to coordinate efforts to enforce a recently agreed-upon ceasefire in Syria’s southern Sweida province, which has seen a dramatic rise in violence in recent weeks.
Over 1,000 killed in Sweida
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) has reported a staggering death toll of more than 1,000 people in Sweida province over the past seven days, following a wave of intense and deadly clashes. Among the dead are 194 civilians who were summarily executed, as violence escalates and humanitarian conditions deteriorate rapidly.
In a statement issued Sunday, the Observatory called for the formation of an independent UN investigation committee to probe what it described as a "catastrophic toll" and to hold those responsible for the bloodshed accountable under international law.
