Amid air strikes, interests of Turkey and Israel clash in Syria
Israel struck several targets on Wednesday night, including military bases in Hama and Homs in western central Syria, the Israel Defense Forces said. Turkey, a NATO member state and key ally of Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, has shown an interest in a military footprint in Syria.
Syrian state news agency Sana reported that the strikes on Wednesday night targeted five different areas of Syria and resulted in injuries and the 'near-total destruction' of Hama Military Airport. At least nine people were killed in a strike in southwestern Syria, the news agency said, citing local officials.
While Israel has struck other targets in Syria in recent months, this week's attacks marked an escalation in tensions between two key regional players that have both sought to gain political leverage from the turmoil in Syria.
Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar on Thursday accused Turkey of 'doing their utmost to have Syria as a Turkish protectorate.'
Turkey has publicly signaled in the past that it is willing to take on a greater role in Syria. After a regional meeting in early last month, its Defense Ministry said that 'in line with the demands of the new Syrian government, Turkey continues to evaluate the establishment of bases for training purposes.' It did not specify where these bases could be located — however, both Hama and Homs are locations that could host foreign troops.
Turkey's Foreign Ministry called Israeli criticism this week 'provocative,' 'aggressive' and 'expansionist,' and urged Israel to 'cease undermining the efforts to stabilize Syria.'
Since the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime, Israel has carried out operations deep into southern Syria, bombarded military bases and taken control of a demilitarized United Nations-patrolled buffer zone on the Syrian side of its border, citing security concerns. The Israeli strikes that killed nine people this week hit near the Israeli-Syrian border, where locals had reported clashes with Israeli forces.
Turkey was seen as one of the biggest geopolitical winners when Sharaa-led militants stormed the Syrian capital of Damascus in December, ousting Assad and shocking his Russian and Iranian allies.
Before Assad's fall, Turkey had supported various militant groups in Syria, including factions that have fought against U.S.-backed Kurdish forces and that participated in last year's offensive that toppled Assad.
Now, Turkey has numerous incentives to help stabilize the interim Syrian government. Ankara hopes to speed up the return of millions of Syrian refugees at a time when Turkey's weak economy has emerged as a key political issue, and Turkish businessmen have in recent months scouted Syria for investment opportunities.
Islamic State militants operating in Syria also continue to pose a threat both to Syrian and Turkish targets, and a weak Syrian central government could give rise to calls for Kurdish independence in Syria — a demand Turkey has been particularly determined to suppress.
Syria's interim government has made some progress at reining in tensions with Kurdish-led forces. Governmental and Kurdish-led forces exchanged prisoners this week, Sana reported, potentially paving the way for more extensive talks between both sides.
But the government around Sharaa has struggled to quell other conflicts. In the wake of coordinated attacks on its security forces, militant groups affiliated with the government deliberately targeted members of the country's Alawite minority in early March, killing more than 100 people in the coastal city of Baniyas alone, Amnesty International found in an investigation that it published on Thursday.
The attacks fed regional doubts over Sharaa. In neighboring Israel, some worry that an emboldened Syrian interim government could also curtail Israel's military options.
Israeli officials view Sharaa as a 'wolf in sheep's clothing,' Yoni Ben-Menachem, a researcher at the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, wrote in an analysis last month.
He 'presents himself as a moderate while remaining a jihadist with an unchanged ideology, now seeking to consolidate power with Turkey's backing,' he said, summarizing Israeli officials' thinking.
But Israel's strikes in Syria this week could backfire, cautioned Omer Ozkizilcik, a Turkey-focused nonresident fellow with the Atlantic Council. In neighboring countries, they are likely to boost Ankara's arguments that a Turkish military presence could be useful.
'Turkey and Israel by themselves are very unlikely to resolve this,' he said. 'It needs American mediation to find a security mechanism or arrangement between both sides.'
Loveday Morris in Berlin and Beril Eski in Istanbul contributed to this report.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Insider
20 minutes ago
- Business Insider
Russia's economy is now so militarized, it may keep expanding its army even after the Ukraine war
Russia's war machine has become such an integral part of its economic engine that its military industry is likely to keep expanding even after the fighting in Ukraine ends, according to a report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "The end of hostilities will not lead to a radical cut-off of military investment," wrote CSIS analysts in a report published on Thursday. Now in its fourth year, Russia's war with Ukraine continues even as Russian President Vladimir Putin's administration weathers sweeping Western sanctions. And while cracks are starting to show, the Russian economy may still be able to sustain the war effort for several more years, the report said. Defense spending is set to hit a post-Soviet record of 6.3% of GDP in 2025 and could climb even higher despite mounting signs of economic slowdown or recession. "Russia's economy appears sustainable for the next few years," the CSIS analysts wrote. They forecast that the Kremlin could maintain its war of attrition through at least 2027. 'Russia could be preparing for some kind of future confrontation with NATO' The CSIS report comes amid renewed scrutiny of Russia's economy. Manufacturing activity contracted last month, and employment has suffered. GDP growth slowed to 1.4% in the first quarter, down sharply from 4.5% in the previous quarter. Still, Russia has defied expectations thanks to its growing military-industrial complex. "Having become the most sanctioned country in the world, it has managed to maneuver around many economic constraints, keeping revenues from energy sales high and its budget balanced, investing in the military and defense industry, ramping up domestic production of weapons and equipment, and boosting economic growth," wrote the think tank analysts. Crucially, the militarized economy has built a broad base of political and economic stakeholders — from elites to ordinary workers — who benefit from continued conflict. That makes any significant drawdown in military activity politically and economically unlikely. Even if a ceasefire is reached, Russia may still be able to rebuild and expand its armed forces over the next decade. "Russia's war-induced socioeconomic changes have been so significant that the process of societal militarization is unlikely to stop even if the war in Ukraine were to end," wrote the CSIS analysts. The Kremlin's strategic posture hasn't softened either. CSIS suggests Russia is preparing for a long-term confrontation with NATO, using the war to modernize its forces and test Western resolve. Beyond conventional arms, Russia has ramped up hybrid warfare, including cyberattacks, disinformation, sabotage, political meddling, and strikes on critical infrastructure. These tools allow Moscow to operate aggressively across multiple fronts. "Despite being inferior to NATO in terms of its conventional capabilities, today's Russia represents a bigger challenge to European security than it did at the start of 2022," the CSIS analysts wrote. The Kremlin is learning from past failures, adapting quickly, and growing more confident in what it sees as a West unwilling to stop it. "Moscow's ongoing large-scale military reforms signal that Russia could be preparing for some kind of future confrontation with NATO within roughly the next decade—including even a large-scale conventional war," they wrote.
Newsweek
21 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Poland Scrambles Fighter Jets Amid Russian Attack on Ukraine
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Poland's armed forces have scrambled it aircraft in response to the threat posed by a Russian missile attack on Ukraine. The NATO member said in a statement the aircraft were deployed overnight Sunday and air defense and radar reconnaissance systems were placed on high alert. The measure was in response to another combined drone and missile attack launched by Russian forces on Ukraine. It comes just over a week after Polish and Swedish armed forces scrambled aircraft stationed in Poland following a similar Russian attack. This is a developing story and will be updated.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Europe hopes for 'no surprises' as US weighs force withdrawals
After keeping Donald Trump happy with a pledge to up defence spending at NATO's summit, Europe is now bracing for a key decision from the US president on the future of American forces on the continent. Washington is currently conducting a review of its military deployments worldwide -- set to be unveiled in coming months -- and the expectation is it will lead to drawdowns in Europe. That prospect is fraying the nerves of US allies, especially as fears swirl that Russia could look to attack a NATO country within the next few years if the war in Ukraine dies down. However, the alliance is basking in Trump's newfound goodwill following its June summit in The Hague, and his officials are making encouraging noises that Europe will not be left in the lurch. "We've agreed to no surprises and no gaps in the strategic framework of Europe," said Matthew Whitaker, US ambassador to NATO, adding he expected the review to come out in "late summer, early fall". "I have daily conversations with our allies about the process," he said. While successive US governments have mulled scaling back in Europe to focus more on China, Trump has insisted more forcefully than his predecessors that the continent should handle its own defence. "There's every reason to expect a withdrawal from Europe," said Marta Mucznik from the International Crisis Group. "The question is not whether it's going to happen, but how fast." When Trump returned to office in January many felt he was about to blow a hole in the seven-decade-old alliance. But the vibe in NATO circles is now far more upbeat than those desperate days. "There's a sanguine mood, a lot of guesswork, but the early signals are quite positive," one senior European diplomat told AFP, talking as others on condition of anonymity. "Certainly no panic or doom and gloom." - 'Inevitable' - The Pentagon says there are nearly 85,000 US military personnel in Europe -- a number that has fluctuated between 75,000 and 105,000 since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. "I think it is inevitable that they pull out some of their forces," a second European diplomat told AFP. "But I don't expect this to be like a dramatic overhaul. I think it's going to be gradual. I think it's going to be based on consultations." Trump's first target is likely to be the troops left over from a surge ordered by his predecessor Joe Biden after Moscow's tanks rolled into Ukraine. Officials say relocating the rump of that 20,000-strong deployment would not hurt NATO's deterrence too much -- but alarm bells would ring if Trump looked to cut too deep into personnel numbers or close key bases. The issue is not just troop numbers -- the US has capabilities such as air defences, long-range missiles and satellite surveillance that allies would struggle to replace in the short-term. "The kinds of defence investments by Europe that are being made coming out of The Hague summit may only be felt in real capability terms over many years," said Ian Lesser from the German Marshall Fund think tank. "So the question of timing really does matter." - 'Inopportune moment' - Washington's desire to pull back from Europe may be tempered by Trump now taking a tougher line with Russia -- and Moscow's reluctance to bow to his demands to end the Ukraine war. "It seems an inopportune moment to send signals of weakness and reductions in the American security presence in Europe," Lesser said. He also pointed to Trump's struggles during his first term to pull troops out of Germany -- the potential bill for relocating them along with political resistance in Washington scuppering the plan. While European diplomats are feeling more confident than before about the troop review, they admit nothing can be certain with the mercurial US president. Other issues such as Washington's trade negotiations with the EU could rock transatlantic ties in the meantime and upend the good vibes. "It seems positive for now," said a third European diplomat. "But what if we are all wrong and a force decrease will start in 2026. To be honest, there isn't much to go on at this stage." del/ec/jxb/tc
