Turkish Foreign Minister: Israel seeks to destabilize Syria
The Turkish minister’s remarks come during an official visit to Syria, about a month after Israel bombed the abandoned Abu al-Duhur airbase in northwestern Syria, citing the need to “prevent the deployment of Turkish forces” there. Ankara denied sending any delegation to the base.
Fidan said during a joint press conference with his Syrian counterpart, “As Syria inspires considerable hope in the region and the world, a party seeking to destabilize the country suddenly emerges, and you know who this party is: Israel.”
Since the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December 2024, Israel has launched hundreds of strikes on Syria, focusing on military targets it said were aimed at preventing the new authorities from acquiring the arsenal of the former army.
Israeli forces have ventured beyond the buffer zone adjacent to the Golan Heights, which Israel has occupied most of since 1967, reaching Mount Heron, which lies between Lebanon and Syria, and announced its intention to establish a demilitarized zone in southern Syria. Israeli officials have repeatedly stated that their forces do not intend to withdraw from the area.
The Syrian Foreign Minister, at the press conference, stated that Syria’s position regarding the Israeli escalation “is the inevitability of Israeli withdrawal” from areas it infiltrated after Assad’s fall, and Damascus’s commitment to the 1974 Disengagement Agreement.
Syria and Turkey have maintained close relations since the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in late 2024, with Ankara among the first countries to open its embassies in Damascus. The two countries have also exchanged several official visits.
The two countries are also seeking to develop their relations in the fields of energy and trade. Al-Shaybani said the two countries are moving toward a “comprehensive strategic document that integrates gas, electricity, and grid interconnection pathways.”
For his part, Fidan announced an upcoming visit by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Syria, without specifying a date.
