With Iran in decline, can Israel and Turkey align on Syria deconfliction?
Much has yet to be resolved in the deconfliction talks between Turkey and Israel over Syria, but analysts and former officials say Ankara holds more cards, especially amid US President Donald Trump’s push to engage with Syria’s new leadership.
As Israel and Syria reportedly engage in ongoing dialogue in an effort to decrease tensions, Turkey and Israel — once on a collision course over their seemingly conflicting interests in Syria and the war in Gaza — will also likely decrease their own tensions through Azerbaijan-hosted deconfliction talks, experts say.
In a stark revelation, Israeli national security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi announced earlier this week that Israel and Syria were in contact nearly daily. “There is direct daily dialogue at all levels between Israel and the regime in Syria,” Hanegbi was quoted as saying on Tuesday according to several Israeli media outlets.
He also described Syria as a candidate to join the expanded Abraham Accords that US President Donald Trump facilitated in 2020, which normalized ties between Israel, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco and Sudan.
The statement surprised many, coming on the heels of hundreds of Israeli airstrikes inside Syria since the ouster of Bashar al-Assad in December. Among the targets was the strategic T4 air base near Palmyra, struck just as Turkish forces were reportedly preparing to advance. The incident underscored the growing risk of confrontation between the region’s two most powerful militaries, spurring US and Azerbaijani mediation efforts.
