While Benjamin Netanyahu and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan may have recently exchanged fierce mutual accusations and criticism in public, however, Israel and Turkey have opened a secret communication channel to avert the risk of conflict in Syria.
The information was reported by the public broadcaster Kan, citing an anonymous defense official.
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“Israel does not wish to turn Turkey into an enemy,” the source reportedly said. “However, when messages fall on deaf ears, Israel is forced to act,” the source added.
These statements come in the wake of reports in Israel according to which Jerusalem had attempted to warn Ankara before striking a base in Syria last week, due to the alleged deployment of Turkish troops.
According to the report, Israel considers Turkish entrenchment in Syria a “red line,” particularly the deployment of air defense systems, unmanned aerial vehicles (drones), and missiles that could challenge its air superiority.
These statements echo the position of Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, who said on Saturday evening (August 22) that Israel “has no interest in an escalation with Turkey,” seeking to de-escalate the tension that had intensified following the Israeli strike on the Abu al-Duhur base.
“We are committed to maintaining the status quo,” Saar said. He added that “we will not accept the establishment of Turkish bases in Syria.”
The U.S. was also informed
According to the public broadcaster Kan, Israel reportedly informed the U.S. that Turkey was planning to install an air defense system at an airbase in northwestern Syria.
Specifically, Israel informed the U.S. that if Turkey were to install an air defense system at the Abu al-Duhur military airfield, it would undermine Israel’s air superiority in the region and alter the balance of power.
According to Kan, Israel did not provide the U.S. with an estimated date for the arrival of Turkish air defense systems in Syria, stating only that Ankara was planning to deploy the system and that Abu al-Duhur was its likely destination.
Earlier, the U.S. ambassador to Turkey, Tom Barak, expressed doubts about Israel’s claim that Turkey was transporting military equipment to the base, stating that U.S. intelligence did not indicate that such an action was taking place.
Israel–Turkey Relations at a Breaking Point
Relations between the two countries have reached a breaking point, with the situation escalating as both sides level accusations of territorial occupation, settlements, and even genocide.
In the wake of the Israeli attack, Turkey escalated the confrontation on Friday (August 21) by issuing an international arrest warrant against Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as another Israeli citizen.
The Israeli prime minister’s office responded by reiterating previous accusations against Erdogan, calling him an “anti-Semitic dictator” who has attacked the Kurds, harbors Hamas terrorists, occupies the northern part of Cyprus, and imprisons a large number of journalists and politicians who disagree with him.
The response from Ömer Çelik, spokesperson for Turkey’s ruling AKP, was immediate.
Responding to Netanyahu, he wrote in X that massacres and lies are his hallmark.
“Genocide, massacres, lies, murders, and crimes against humanity have become Netanyahu’s ‘identity.’”
Israel and Turkey still maintain diplomatic relations, although high-level contacts have been “frozen” since late 2023.
SOURCE: CNN Greece
