Although Turkey appeared to have pushed its policy of working for the demise of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to the back burner, Ankara warmly welcomed the US missile strikes that hit the Shayrat air base April 7.

This development revived Ankara’s desire to see Assad toppled and re-energized its push for a safe zone in Syria, with scant consideration about what this would mean for its ties with Russia. Ankara also does not appear to be concerned about the fallout from its position in regard to the “Astana process” it is co-sponsoring with Moscow and Tehran on Syria. The general picture, however, is more complicated for Ankara than it appears at first glance. Some Turkish analysts believe Washington’s latest move will produce positive results for Turkey, but not everyone agrees.

Some pro-government voices are cautioning against being overly optimistic about a change in US policy, arguing that it could work to Turkey’s disadvantage. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan — who considers Assad his principal regional nemesis, despite having been forced to temper his feelings about the Syrian leader because of developing ties with Russia — was quick to praise the strike against the Syrian government's air base and pushed for more.

In a speech in the southeastern Turkish city of Adana, Erdogan exhorted, “The murderer Assad, who uses sarin and chlorine gas, has incurred his first response from the United States. But is this enough? It isn’t. I think this must continue, because this man, who has killed nearly a million people, must pay the price.”