Israel fears T\u00fcrkish presence in Syria as a \u201cdanger,\u201d Ankara wants end to Israel\u2019s \u201cexpansionist, occupying stance.\u201d
\n Syria
\nTurkish and Israeli officials held their first technical-level meeting in Azerbaijan this week, aimed at establishing a conflict prevention mechanism to avoid clashes in Syria, T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s Defense Ministry said on Thursday.
\nThe meeting, held on Wednesday, marks a rare direct engagement between the two countries, whose ties have long been strained. It comes amid growing tension in Syria following the collapse of the Assad regime and competing military presences by both T\u00fcrkiye and Israel.
\nIn a statement, the Turkish Defense Ministry urged Israel to immediately stop what it called \u201cprovocative attacks\u201d that threaten Syria\u2019s territorial integrity. It also called on Israel to abandon what it described as an \u201cexpansionist, occupying stance,\u201d warning of regional destabilisation.
\nT\u00fcrkiye currently controls a buffer zone in northern Syria and has said its forces will remain until new security arrangements are in place. Israel, meanwhile, has been conducting airstrikes in the area, citing national security concerns over the new Syrian leadership.
\nIsraeli officials have labeled T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s military presence a \u201cdanger to Israel.\u201d In response, Ankara warned that continued Israeli strikes could fuel wider instability across the region.
\nTurkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said T\u00fcrkiye has no intention to engage in conflict with Israel or any other country in Syria. However, he warned that T\u00fcrkiye cannot remain passive if unrest in Syria threatens its national security.
\nFidan accused Israel of acting preemptively based on speculative threats and said T\u00fcrkiye would use diplomatic and other means to de-escalate the situation.
\nThe statement followed remarks by President Recep Tayyip Erdo\u011fan, who has sharply criticised Israel\u2019s actions in Gaza and the West Bank, branding Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as the \u201cButcher of Gaza.\u201d
\nT\u00fcrkiye has halted trade with Israel and applied to join a genocide case against the country at the International Court of Justice.
\nIsraeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, during a visit to Washington earlier this week, sought support from US President Donald Trump against T\u00fcrkiye. Instead, Trump praised Erdo\u011fan and offered to mediate between the two nations.
\n\u201cIf you have a problem with Turkey, I think you\u2019ll work it out,\u201d Trump told reporters. \u201cErdo\u011fan is smart and tough. I have a good relationship with him.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Israel fears T\u00fcrkish presence in Syria as a \u201cdanger,\u201d Ankara wants end to Israel\u2019s \u201cexpansionist, occupying stance.\u201d Syria Turkish and Israeli officials held their first technical-level meeting in Azerbaijan this week, aimed at establishing a conflict prevention mechanism to avoid clashes in Syria, T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s Defense Ministry said on Thursday. The meeting, held on Wednesday, marks […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-472178","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n