Turkey confirms coordination with Israel in Syria to avoid military clashes

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan acknowledged on Wednesday that Ankara has been engaging in operational-level coordination with Israel in Syria to avoid unintended military incidents, Reuters reported.

The comments follow a series of intensified Israeli airstrikes in Syria, which Israeli officials said were intended to prevent a planned Turkish takeover of the targeted area.

According to a Reuters report published last week, Turkish forces had surveyed multiple air bases within Syrian territory as part of preliminary plans for a potential joint defense initiative. Those same installations were later targeted in Israeli airstrikes.

“While we are conducting certain operations in Syria, there needs to be a deconfliction mechanism with Israel, which flies aircraft in that region, similar to mechanisms we have with the U.S. and Russia,” Fidan told CNN Turk on Wednesday.

He further explained that the dialogue is strictly technical. “There are technical contacts to prevent combat elements from misunderstanding each other,” he said, noting that teams on both sides engage “when needed.”

Fidan emphasized that the coordination does not reflect any broader diplomatic overtures toward normalization with Israel. “These talks are limited to deconfliction in Syria,” he stated.

Turkey has upped its criticism of Israel’s counterterrorism operations. Last week, the Turkish Foreign Ministry criticized Israel’s strikes against Hezbollah terrorist targets in Lebanon.

“These attacks have once again exposed Israel’s flagrant disregard for international law and its ongoing threat to the region’s security and stability. The international community must stand united against Israel’s efforts to create a perpetual state of conflict in the region,” it said.

In response, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a statement of its own, “While violently suppressing his own citizens and carrying out mass arrests of political opponents, [President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan presumes to preach lofty values to the international community.”

“In Erdogan’s Turkey, there is no justice, no law, and no freedom. Israel does not need Erdogan’s ridiculous moral sermons. Israel acts to defend itself and its citizens against real threats and actual attacks — and it will continue to do so,” it added.

Erdogan has increased his verbal attacks on Israel since the start of the war in Gaza on October 7, 2023. The two countries had been on track to restore strained ties before Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel.

Last month, the Turkish President described Israel as a “terror state” after it launched surprise strikes on terrorist targets in the Gaza Strip.