Turkey's Fidan says Israel ties harden SDF stance as Syria clashes grow
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Thursday blamed the Syrian Democratic Forces’ ties with Israel for what he cast as the group's increasingly uncompromising posture in Syria.
ANKARA — Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Thursday blamed the Syrian Democratic Forces’ ties with Israel for what he cast as the group's increasingly uncompromising posture in Syria.
The remarks come as clashes between the SDF and government forces in northern Syria have intensified in recent days amid stalled efforts to integrate the Kurdish-led group into the Syrian military.
“Now is the time for national unity. The SDF needs to do what is required of it at this point,” Fidan told reporters in Ankara.
“But instead, through coordination with Israel, its transformation into an actor that serves Israel’s divide-and-rule policy in our region is unfortunately no coincidence,” Fidan added.
