Diplomacy becomes essential national security tool to combat Turkey's growing strength- editorial
Recent strikes raise an uncomfortable question about the US-supervised “joint fusion mechanism” that Israel, Syria, and the United States agreed on and what it accomplished.
In a recent clash over Syria, diplomacy emerged as a crucial tool in national security. The direct conversation that took place between Israel's Mossad chief Roman Gofman and Syria's Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani on August 14 shed light on the growing Turkish military role in Syria. The incident gained significance when Israel retaliated by striking the Abu al-Duhur airbase four days later, alleging that Damascus had violated an agreed security status quo by permitting Turkish forces to deploy there.
This event highlights the complexity of the situation. Turkey, a NATO member, is seeking Western alliance privileges while treating Israel as a strategic adversary. Ankara and Damascus signed a military cooperation memorandum, involving military training, consultancy, weapons systems, and logistics. Turkey has even trained Syrian personnel, and Turkish officers were present at Abu al-Duhur prior to the strike.
The escalation of tensions between Israel and Turkey began after October 7, 2023. Despite the restoration of diplomatic relations and the exchange of ambassadors, Israel recalled its diplomats from Turkey and vice versa. Turkey halted bilateral trade with Israel, and Erdogan's rhetoric has become increasingly hostile, comparing Netanyahu to Hitler and suggesting Turkey could intervene against Israel.
The emergence of a powerful Turkish military presence in Syria, under an increasingly antagonistic government in Ankara, poses a significant challenge to Israel. Turkish radar, air-defense systems, aircraft, or drones could limit Israel's freedom of action and transform the region into an arena involving the armed forces of a NATO state. The US has recognized the danger and is working on a three-way deconfliction mechanism among Israel, Turkey, and Syria.
Nevertheless, Israel must maintain a delicate balance between credible military red lines and relentless diplomacy. While distrust towards Syria's new rulers is justified, President Ahmed al-Sharaa's statement about Syria seeking a security agreement with Israel and Shaibani's openness to negotiations must be explored. In the face of an accidental clash with a NATO army on Syrian soil, Israel's communication is not weakness, but a critical aspect of national security.
Written by urgent.news from Jerusalem Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
