Turkish President Recept Tayyip Erdogan denounced Israel during a diplomatic forum for eroding the stability of neighboring Syria a few days after the two countries aimed to reject an escalating conflict between them in Syrian soil.
“Turkey will not allow Syria to be dragged into a new vortex of instability,” Erdogan told attendees at the Antalya Diplomatic Forum on Turkey's southern coast, accusing Israel of “trying to undermine the December 8 revolution.”
“We are in close dialogue about what we have in common with all the influential parties in the region, especially Trump and Putin, regarding the preservation of Syrian territorial integrity and stability,” he added.
Participants at the forum included Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharraa, who met Erdogan on the sidelines of a meeting in Antarya.
The Turkish presidency said Erdogan had repeated Ankara's efforts to lift sanctions in Syria, telling Shara that he “welcomes the fact that Syrian chaos want to occur again.”
Tensions between Israel and Turkey have peaked since Assad overthrown, after Israeli forces slammed three military bases across Syria with airstrikes earlier this month. Reuters reported that Turkish military teams have scoped out Hama's major airports and air bases at HOMS's T4 and Palmyra, assessing runways, hangars and infrastructure to see if they could deploy military hardware with the military as part of a planned joint defense agreement between Ankara and Damascus.
Defense Minister Israel Katz called the airstrikes “a clear message and warning of the future.”
Israel has raided Syrian military facilities hundreds of times since Assad fled to Moscow four months ago, destroying missile systems and military assets that the Damascus transitional government wanted to inherit.
Assad's overthrow marked the end of more than 50 years of dictatorial rule by his family and the halt of a decade-long civil war that became a frozen proxy conflict. Russia and Iran, the former dictator supporters, faced off against the presence of troops supported by Ankara in northern Syria, as well as the presence of American troops in the east and south.
After a rebellion led by Shara's army came to power in Damascus, Ankara emerged as the most important regional supporter of Syria's new transitional government.
Turkish officials established rapid relations with Damascus, negotiated a reported defence agreement that could be used to view Turkish troops using Syrian airspace, and established a base on the ground. Meanwhile, Israel moved to expand its occupation of Golan Heights decades ago to designated buffer zones after Assad's departure.
“Assad had Russia as his guardian in the second half of the Syrian civil war. If Turkey enters and begins to install air defense systems and introduce jets into Syrian airspace, it will significantly limit Israel's freedom of action.”
“For Turkey, the problem now is that Israel is not only opposed to military presence, but also weakens or prevents the emergence of Syria's functioning government by design or default.
Israeli forces infiltrated a remote town in the countryside of Dara, south of Damascus earlier this month, and Syrian state media said nine civilians were killed in artillery fire during the deepest Israeli invasion into Syria.
With few indications that Israeli forces intend to leave the area around Mount Harmon, Israeli tour companies reportedly began working with the troops stationed there to offer two hiking tours a day.
Less than a week after Israel struck out three air bases in Syria, the talks held in Azerbaijan were sought to find ways to ease Syria's growing tensions. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said that a delegation made up of top security and diplomats had met his Turkish counterparts, and both agreed that “continuing the path of dialogue to maintain stability in the region.”
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told local broadcaster CNNTürk, “As we are running certain operations in Syria, we need a deconfluction mechanism with Israel flying aircraft in that area, as well as a mechanism between the US and Russia.”
Fidan added that technical teams from both sides are in contact “when necessary” and “to prevent combat elements from misunderstanding each other.”
Lund labelled the consultation as “very positive” given the risk of a conflict between Syrian two powers amid regional conflicts, including Israel's 18-month attack on Gaza.
“They will both be involved in the military in Syria. This could spiral in a spiral in a variety of ways. So, some form of red lines or communication channels are essential to managing that tension, and this seems like a step in that direction,” he said.
