Exclusive-Mossad director, Syria foreign minister discussed Turkish military deployments before strikes, sources say

Last week, the head of Israel's spy agency, Roman Gofman, spoke with Syria's foreign minister Asaad al-Shaibani about Turkey's military presence in Syria, according to three sources familiar with the matter. This conversation took place on the day before Israel bombed a Syrian airbase, which the Israeli prime minister's office did not immediately comment on.

Shaibani held the highest-level contact between Israel and the Damascus administration led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Damascus was close to allowing Turkish troops to deploy, and had ignored Israel's warnings about the threat such a deployment posed to Israel's security. The sources said the Turkish military's increased presence in Syria was a major topic of discussion during the call between Gofman and Shaibani.

Gofman inquired about Turkey's provision of weapons to Syria's army and the sale of weapons, while a senior official confirmed the call's topic. Turkey's defence ministry and foreign ministry did not respond to requests for comment on the matter. Netanyahu warned over Turkey-Syria ties, stating that Israel would not tolerate a Turkish military establishment in Syria that threatened Israel.