An Israeli outlet has highlighted growing concern and fear in Israel over Türkiye’s expanding military influence in Syria and the possible arrival of strategic weapons and defence systems that could restrict the Israeli occupation state’s freedom of action inside Syrian territory.
Amid rising tensions between Israel and Türkiye, last week’s Israeli strike on the Abu al-Duhur base in Syria has once again drawn attention to the struggle over the boundaries of influence in the country following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
Israeli Security Concerns
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said that “Israel acted against a Turkish attempt to establish a foothold in Syria”, claiming that “the Turkish move endangered Israel’s security interests, and Israel will continue to act in this direction”, according to Israeli outlet i24.
During a visit on Tuesday to Israeli military commanders and soldiers in the Mount Hermon area inside Syrian territory, Katz also addressed new Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa.
He claimed that “the presence of the Israeli army there is intended to protect Israeli settlements and borders”.
Karmit Valensi, a researcher at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies, or INSS, said Turkish involvement in Syria dates back to the years of the civil war, when Ankara supported the opposition and provided it with military and economic assistance.
She said that after the change of power in Damascus, Türkiye is taking advantage of the existing vacuum to help rebuild the Syrian army through weapons, training and guidance.
“Despite the decline in Türkiye’s direct presence in Syria, Ankara is working to support the new regime and trying to establish itself as a regional power,” Valensi said.
She added that Israel fears the arrival of strategic weapons, drones and Turkish defence systems in Syria, which could threaten Israel’s freedom of action.
According to Valensi, Israel is also concerned that Türkiye could form a hardline Sunni axis with positions hostile to Israel.
However, she cautioned against exaggerating claims that Türkiye is taking control of Syria.
“Al-Sharaa does not want to be subordinate to any country. He is dealing with several parties, and there are also interests between Türkiye and Syria that do not fully align,” she said.
Türkiye’s Growing Military Influence
Galia Lindenstrauss, a researcher specialising in Turkish foreign policy, warned that Israeli action could become a “double-edged sword”.
“Türkiye is interested in President al-Sharaa succeeding and in Syria becoming stable, and the Israeli strike was an exceptional step that could lead to closer ties between al-Sharaa and Ankara, and perhaps even accelerate Türkiye’s efforts to strengthen its military influence inside Syria,” she said.
Lindenstrauss argued that Türkiye may interpret the Israeli move within the context of Benjamin Netanyahu’s government’s election campaign and may therefore avoid responding sharply.
On the security front, Katz stressed that the Israeli military would not withdraw from what he described as the security zone as long as threats to Israel remain.
He also said that the Israeli military had destroyed the strategic infrastructure of the former Syrian army within only a few days.
Katz said Israel’s occupation presence on Mount Hermon and in the security zone, around 35 kilometres from Damascus, was intended to prevent a military threat emerging from the new Syrian government.
Israeli military Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir also visited the occupied Golan Heights following the Israeli attack.
He stressed what he described as the need to prevent a major military threat from forming along the border, saying that the Israeli military would not allow hostile forces to establish themselves near it and would use force “precisely, at the right place and at the right time”.
