ANKARA — Amid rising tensions between Turkey and Israel over developments in Syria, analysts say Ankara’s deepening involvement in the war-torn country is not aimed at Israel but rather is focused on stabilizing Syria's political and security situation, which Turkey believes directly affect its national security concerns.

This week, tensions between Israel and Turkey rose again, with Syria emerging as a new point of confrontation between the two regional powers. Israel earlier this week conducted numerous airstrikes in Syria, targeting the Tiyas (T-4) military base in Homs as well as defense infrastructure in Hama and Damascus. The attacks killed at least nine people and destroyed a strategic airbase in Hama linking the south and the north.

On Thursday, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar accused Turkey of playing a "negative role" in Syria, and the Turkish Foreign Ministry responded to "the provocative statements by Israeli ministers,” saying that they "reflect not only their state of mind but also the aggressive and expansionist policies of Israel’s fundamentalist and racist government."

Yet, despite the flare up, Turkey’s defense posture in Syria centers on preserving the country’s territorial integrity in a bid to prevent the emergence of an autonomous Kurdish region along its southern border and to foster conditions for the safe return of millions of Syrian refugees currently in Turkey.