Israel and Turkey’s Competition Over Syria; A Warning for the Country’s Future

According to Kurdistan Press, Hani al-Jamal, deputy director of the Syrian Political Affairs Studies Center, stated in an interview with Hawar News Agency that Turkey is seeking to establish a central and powerful government in Syria that it can interact with, while Israel wants a Syria that does not pose a threat to its security. According to him, the competition between Ankara and Tel Aviv in Syria has now taken on strategic dimensions and, if it intensifies, could lead to a conflict between the two sides or the entry of other actors and armed groups into the conflict.Explaining Turkey’s goals in Syria, Al-Jamal said: “Turkey wants a controlled and strong government in Syria.” He added that Ankara is also trying to increase its influence in Syria, especially in the northern regions of the country, to protect its economic interests and to end the Kurdish issue.

The analyst, on the other hand, considered Israel’s approach different, saying: “Tel Aviv does not want the Syrian government to once again become a source of threat to its security, especially after Israel and the US have tried to weaken Iran’s presence and influence in the region, and Israel is trying to limit Turkey’s power and influence in Syria within the same framework.”

Regarding Turkey’s policy in Syria, he also stated that Ankara is trying to reorganize its presence in the country militarily and politically.According to him, Turkey may pursue this goal through Syrian groups close to it or by weakening the Syrian military forces, paving the way for its increased influence.

Al-Jamal described the Turkish-Israeli competition over Syria as “strategic,” saying that Ankara is trying to support the current Syrian government and increase its security, strategic, and military influence in the country.

“The competition between Turkey and Israel over Syria is dangerous,” he warned. According to him, this competition may initially remain between Ankara and Tel Aviv, but there is a possibility that other parties and radical groups will also enter the conflict.

The analyst also pointed to recent messages and developments between Turkey and Israel, saying that there is a possibility that Israeli airstrikes on Syria will continue and that the country’s military infrastructure will be targeted.He warned that such measures could slow down the reconstruction process in Syria and prevent the country from achieving the stability and capability needed to rebuild itself in the short term.

Regarding the possibility of a direct war between Turkey and Israel, Al-Jamal also said that the two countries are not currently engaged in a direct war with each other, but there is a possibility that they will face each other in the future. He emphasized that the competition between the two sides will have a negative impact on Syria in any case.

He concluded by saying that the Syrian government institutions are still weak and the decision-making structure in the country is not fully centralized. In his opinion, in such circumstances, although efforts are underway to establish stability in Syria, there is a risk that the country will once again become an arena for competition between regional powers and various actors will compete with each other to determine their position and influence on Syrian territory.