Israel and Turkey have agreed on a deconfliction mechanism aimed at avoiding a military conflict between the two sides in Syrian territory, according to multiple Arab media reports.
A hotline has been established to prevent “misunderstandings” and military flareups, similar to that set up between Israel and Russia during the reign of former President Bashar al-Assad.
The agreement was reached after weeks of talks between Israel and Turkey in Baku that began in April, mediated by the Azerbaijani government.
On Monday, Defense Minister Israel Katz met with his Azerbaijani counterpart, Defense Minister Zkir Hasanov, to thank him for Baku’s role in mediating the agreement.
Earlier this month, IDF Operations Command Chief Oded Basiuk also met for talks mediated by Azerbaijan aimed at building possible new ties with the new Syrian regime of Ahmed al-Shara’a.
The issue of Israel avoiding a conflict with Turkey has become increasingly important as the IDF works to maintain a security buffer zone in southern Syria along Israel’s northern border in the Golan Heights.
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has threatened since last summer to attack Israel from Syrian territory as part of his support for the Hamas terrorist organization.
Erdogan said during a meeting of his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in July 2024 that Turkey “must be very strong so that Israel can’t do these ridiculous things to Palestine. Just as we entered Karabakh, just like we entered Libya, we will do [something] similar precisely to them.”
Turkish forces moved into northern Syria shortly after the Assad regime was overthrown by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), partly to continue Ankara’s effort to annihilate the Syrian Kurds, who Erdogan believe are linked to the Kurdish PKK terrorist organization in southern Turkey.
But the Turkish move also represented an attempt to secure Ankara’s hold on its southern neighbor.
However, Syria’s new president, Ahmed al-Shara’a (nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Julani), quickly dispelled any Ottoman illusions Erdogan might have had about annexing Syrian territory.
