Turkey does not want a confrontation with Israel in Syria, but Israeli airstrikes on military installations there are undermining the new government’s ability to combat threats including Islamic State, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told Reuters on Friday.
Speaking on the sidelines of a NATO foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels, Fidan said the strikes were destabilising the region and weakening Syria’s defences at a critical transition period.
“We don’t want to see any confrontation with Israel in Syria because Syria belongs to Syrians,” Fidan said.
Israel has carried out repeated strikes on Syrian military facilities in recent weeks, prompting sharp criticism from Ankara. Turkey has called the attacks an encroachment on Syrian sovereignty and accused Israel of impeding regional efforts to counter terrorism.
Fidan said the strikes were hampering Turkey’s efforts to establish a joint security platform with Syria to prevent the resurgence of Islamic State and combat other threats, including the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which Ankara considers a terrorist group.
“Unfortunately, Israel is eliminating all the capabilities that a new Syrian state could use to fight ISIS and other terrorist threats,” Fidan said.
Turkey’s role in Syria
Turkey shares a 911-km (566-mile) border with Syria and has emerged as a key powerbroker in the country following the installation of a new Islamist-led administration in Damascus. Ankara, a longtime backer of Syrian opposition forces, has shifted to support reconstruction efforts and calls for lifting Western sanctions to allow rebuilding to begin.
Fidan said Turkey was prepared to assist in restoring Syria’s infrastructure and institutions and welcomed what he described as a U.S. review of sanctions policy toward Damascus.
“Now we have a new Syria. That new Syria requires a different approach,” he said.
Ties with U.S., Ukraine war
Fidan, who met with U.S. officials in Washington last week, expressed hope for improved ties with the administration of President Donald Trump and said Turkey was open to a greater role in resolving the conflict in Ukraine.
He acknowledged that any U.S.-brokered peace deal between Ukraine and Russia would be “difficult to digest” but preferable to prolonged war. Ankara has offered to host renewed peace talks and serve as a security guarantor.
Turkey, a NATO member, has maintained relations with both Kyiv and Moscow since Russia’s 2022 invasion. It has supported Ukraine’s territorial integrity while opposing sanctions on Russia.
Iran tensions
Addressing recent threats by Trump to launch military strikes on Iran, Fidan urged diplomacy over confrontation.
“We need to bring the Americans and the Iranians together for frank and sincere discussions. This should be the only way forward,” he said.
