Turkey does not want a confrontation with Israel in Syria, but regular Israeli strikes on Syrian military installations are weakening the new Syrian government’s ability to contain threats, including the Islamic State group. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said this in an interview with Reuters on 4 April.
Speaking on the sidelines of a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels, Fidan said he believed Israel’s actions were contributing to destabilisation in the region as strikes were being carried out against Syria, whose government, led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, is a close ally of Ankara.
“We don’t want a confrontation with Israel in Syria because Syria belongs to Syrians,” Fidan said, noting that Syrians themselves should decide the security of their country.
Turkey, as a NATO member, has strongly condemned Israeli strikes on Gaza. Ankara has applied to take part in proceedings against Israel at the International Criminal Court and has also cut off trade relations with Tel Aviv.
Israel rejects the accusations of Palestinian genocide levelled against it by Turkey, stressing that its goal is to eliminate the extremist group Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip. The group, which launched an attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, is recognised in the US and EU as a terrorist organisation. Israel’s military operation in Gaza is a response to the 7 October attack.