President-elect Donald Trump gave Israel the facetious natural lighting to increase its military presence in Syria in December 2024 after Islamic-led insurgents overthrew President Bashar Assad’s terrible program. The Israel Defense Forces immediately slammed Syria’s military base and expanded the buffer zone between the two nations, capitalizing on Syria’s leadership hole.
Trump may be ready to give Turkey the same latitude as he does now in his second, non-consecutive term to increase its buffer area with Syria and build air bases it. If Trump approves, it was put Israel and Turkey on a motion course that both would prefer to avoid.
” We’re seeing that Turkey is strengthening its military presence in Syria,” said the report. Noa Lazimi, a scientist at Israel’s Misgav Institute for National Security, warned that this is obviously not good for Israel and could lead to conflict.
Despite Turkey’s poor human rights record toward the Kurds and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s long-standing hostility toward Israel, Trump appears to want to play a bigger part in the region.
During a visit to a dome on March 31 at the conclusion of Ramadan, Erdogan, an vocal supporter of Hamas, demanded that Israel be destroyed.
” We observe what is taking place in Palestine. In his name, does Allah eliminate Zionist Israel. We must observe what is happening there, so we must band together, stand strong, and act as boys. Allah properly we often be more united, he said.  ,  ,
Trump wasn’t stopped from praising Turkey’s president either. Trump responded to a reporter’s issue on April 8 about whether an expanded role by Turkey’s defense in Syria could maintain it during a presentation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Trump acknowledged that Erdogan had” surrogated” him and that he had a “very, very good relationship” with Turkey’s leader, who he described as” a tough guy and very smart.”
Trump said to Netanyahu,” Any issue you have with Turkey, I think I may resolve.” I mean, you have to be acceptable as long as you are. We must become fair.
An Egyptian-British official with a foreign policy background, Khaled Hassan, described Turkey’s recent efforts to expand its influence in Syria as being motivated by both “domestic imperatives” and” proper opportunism.”
On a global level, Hassan stated that” Erdogan’s passions are firmly rooted in a neo-Ottoman Empire perception that seeks to establish Ankara as a powerful force” throughout the area. Erdogan’s “foreign invasion” serves as a diversion from Turkey’s growing public discontent and its financial difficulties.
Erdogan “bolsters his qualifications ahead of crucial votes by framing these treatments as efforts to protect “national security,” especially against Kurdish groups labeled as extremists,” Hassan said.
One of Turkey’s some targets, according to Hassan, is to limit Israeli military activity in Syria. One of its top priorities is counterbalancing Russian and Persian dominance in northwest Syria, making Turkey an essential powerbroker in Syria’s rebuilding, and undermining Kurdish desires for self-government, which Ankara opinions as an existential threat.  ,
A nonresident senior fellow and Turkey-related expert at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies in Washington, D.C., Sinan Ciddi, said Ahmed al Sharaa, Syria’s new president, welcomes a stronger diplomatic and military presence for Turkey.  ,  ,  ,
He stated that” Ankara has stepped up for the regime and requested that the international sanctions against Syria, which were put in place by the international community during Assad’s regime, be lifted.”
Turkey is eager to provide security, form military alliances, and provide military training, Ciddi added, adding that Syria’s new regime “lacks the manpower to stabilize Syria.”
A stronger Syria-Turkey alliance, according to Eva J. Koulouriotis, a Greek-based political analyst with a focus on the Middle East, would be a win-win situation for both nations.
The Turkish military’s position on Syrian territory could help the new Syrian government defend its territory from Israeli expansionist plans, according to Koulouriotis, and it would also strengthen Damascus ‘ position as a negotiator in any subsequent negotiations between Israel and Syria.
Lazimi claimed that Israel’s efforts to defend its border with Syria are motivated by legitimate security concerns rather than expansionism.  ,
” Since the Golan and Galilee are not in danger, it is crucial for Israel to ensure that southern Syria remains demilitarized.” Israel can prevent weapons from being in the wrong hands and stop attempts by pro-Turkish militia groups to attack Israel’s border because it has operational freedom over Syrian airspace, Lazimi said.
” The situation isn’t far-fetched,” she continued, noting that the Turks are currently transferring weapons or arming militants to harm Israel.
Israel “must set red lines” based on its pressing security concerns, Lazimi said in a context where Trump has pledged to play mediator.
Israel wants to keep its military advantage over other nations in the area, starting with preventing the sale of F-35s to Turkey, she said.
Military representatives from both countries recently met in Azerbaijan to establish a channel to stop unintended clashes in Syria despite the rising tensions between Turkey and Israel.
SYRIAN GOVERNMENT SIGNS BREAKTHROUGH AN AGREEMENT TO REINTEGRATE US-ALIGNED KURDISH FORCES
According to the Turkish Minute news outlet, a spokesperson for the Turkish ministry said,” The deconflict mechanism between Turkey and Israel is not a step toward normalization.” It is a framework created to prevent direct conflict between the two nations and ensure the safe and secure conduct of military operations in Syria.
In the end, according to Hassan, neither nation wants to fight the other. A direct conflict between Israel and Turkey remains highly improbable, he said for this reason.
Michele Chabin is a journalist whose work has appeared in The Washington Post, Cosmopolitan, and Cosmopolitan, Forward, Religion News Service, Science, USA Today, U.S. News & World Report, and Washington Post.
