Malaysia must watch the Israel –Turkey fault line in Syria closely too — Phar Kim Beng

Malaysia must closely monitor the evolving relationship between Israel and Turkey in Syria, warns Phar Kim Beng. The August 18 Israeli strikes on Syria’s Abu al-Duhur airbase, though limited in military terms, hold significant strategic implications. Israel alleged that Syrian Turkish troops were present at the airbase, while Turkey denied such claims and asserted that the attack targeted Syrian infrastructure.

Turkey, a NATO member and influential Muslim world state, condemns the attack. This growing friction between Israel and Turkey, where Turkey possesses a sophisticated defense industry including drones, missiles, and electronic warfare capabilities, poses a qualitatively different risk to previous Israeli military engagements.

The American special envoy Tom Barrack has called for a deconfliction mechanism involving all three parties to prevent escalation. Malaysia must analyze Israeli behavior beyond the Palestinian question and not view regional developments solely through that lens. The changing regional security architecture, with Turkey's growing influence in Syria, necessitates Malaysia to consider Turkey's strategic objectives - stability in Syria and control over security threats on its southern frontier.

Given Malaysia's close ties with both Israel and Turkey, it should encourage deconfliction instead of passive observation. The episode highlights the importance of respecting state sovereignty and the dangers of military attacks inside another state's territory. Malaysia's foreign policy should balance support for Palestinian self-determination with broader regional stability considerations, recognizing the multipolar nature of the Middle East.