Turkey and Israel become deadly opponents in Syria

Copyright © HT Digital Streams Limit all rights reserved. The Economist 4 Min Read April 8, 2025, 08:30 am is Israel Syrian bases over the growing role of Turkey; Tension rises, but war is seen as unlikely. (Beeld: AFP) Summary The Middle East’s Beefste forces play their regional ambitions there for weeks, Turkish army officers have traveled to air bases on Syria, and the plans to at least equip some of them with air defense systems and armed drones. It is said that preparations for Turkey’s takeover of the T4 air base are underway near Palmyra. Then, late on April 2, Israel was attacked. Israeli aircraft bombarded the T4’s runway and radar systems. They also hit at least two bases and other military targets in Syria. If there is doubt about Israel’s alarm about Turkish activity in Syria, officials hammered the message home. Syria was in danger of becoming a Turkish protectorate, warned Gideon Sa’ar, Israel’s Foreign Minister. The leaders of Syria would pay a heavy price if their powers that are hostile to Israel to enter Syria and jeopardize the security interests of the Jewish state, Israel Katz, his defense minister, warned. Israel is concerned about the extent of Turkey’s involvement in Syria, including its plans to set up military bases and provide the new army of the new government with weapons. Turkey fears that Israel wants to see Syria implode, or breaking apart. Everyone accuses the other of preparing to wage war by proxy. It seems that Israel is determined to keep Syria weak and divided. Successive Israeli attacks on the infrastructure of the old army of Syria have destroyed much of the Assad regime’s outdated Soviet-built aircraft. “They took out every inch of military capabilities that they considered a possible challenge for Israeli security interests,” says Alper Cekun, a former Turkish diplomat who is now at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu also called on the rights of Syria’s Druze minority to claim the demilitarization of the country’s south. Israeli officials do not trust in the interim president of Syria, Ahmed Al-Sharaa, which Mr. Katz described as “a jihadist terrorist of Al-Qaeda school.” Mr. Sharaa promised to prevent his country from becoming a pivot for foreign radicals as it was under the Assads. But Israeli officials fear that the new leader of Syria, backed by Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a long -standing supporter of Hamas, could soon set up a welcome mat for the group. Israel and Turkey also disagree on management. Israeli officials have openly proposed a federal model for Syria, including various minorities, including the Kurds and the Alawites (a Muslim sect from which the Assads -Hael) would enjoy extensive autonomy. The recent massacre of hundreds of Alawitic civilians by armed groups loyal to the new rulers of Syria, they believe, shows that Mr. Sharaa cannot be trusted. Mr. Sharaa and his Turkish allies had a whole different system in mind: a strong central government led by a president with a rapid executive forces. On March 13, Mr. Sharaa signed a new constitution based on such a model. Days earlier, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the predominantly Kurdish militia in charge of the north-east of Syria, agreed to join the interim government. Mr. Erdogan has accused Israel of raising the ethnic and religious minorities of Syria to destabilize a country that arises from one of the deadliest wars of this century. But what worries him most is the relationship between Israel and the Kurds. Turkey suspects Israel from the use of the SDF to undermine the Turkish influence in Syria and Foment separatism in Turkey. Turkey regards the group as a front for the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which Turkey and most Western countries cite as terrorists. Israel did not quite such concerns. Last year, Mr. Sa’ar refers to the SDF and the Kurds as his country’s “natural allies” and called on the outside world to protect them from Turkey. It is unclear whether such overtures mean that Israel could help arm the Kurds in the north-east of Syria, although many Israelis would give a chance to Mr. Erdogan, who supports Hamas, gives a taste of his own medicine. Turkey definitely takes this risk seriously. The fear of an alliance between Israel and the Kurds was an important factor behind Turkey’s decision last year to begin secret talks with PKK’s captive leader, Abdullah Ocalan. It finished fruit in March, when the PKK declared a temporary ceasefire. “Turkey thinks that Israel wants to create a PKK statulet on its border,” says Dareen Khalifa of the International Crisis Group, a thinking tank in Brussels. “The Israelites think Turkey can use Syria against them in the same way.” Relationships between Turkey and Israel, which have already been poisoned by the war in Gaza, can continue to exacerbate. But the actual armed conflict between the second largest army of NATO and America’s most important local ally is probably not. None of the parties have any appetite to fight against another. Turkey and Israel set the way for deterrence, not war. Mr. Erdogan considers Donald Trump an old friend and believes that there can be an improvement in Turkey’s relationship with America with him, including a chance to expose the sale of F-35 Stealth Fighters. He also hopes to improve the relationship with Europe, who wants him to help with security guarantees and peacekeeping in Ukraine. Mr. Erdogan is unlikely to put it at risk by practicing war with Israel. In addition, Turkey and Israel can find another common ground in the levant. Both want to prevent Iran from settling in Syria’s foothold. Both will lose if the new Syria fails. ‘Syria is a large country in a deep crisis and [Mr Erdogan] Will not have time to challenge Israel, “says an Israeli intelligence source.” And if he manages to stabilize what could have become a chaotic jihadist state, it is also good for Israel. “Catch all the business news, market news, break news opportunities and the latest news updates on Live Mint. Download the Mint News app to get daily market updates.