Illustrative image. (The Israeli Defense Forces)
A senior Israeli official confirmed to Reuters on April 10 that delegations from Turkey and Israel met a day earlier in Azerbaijan to discuss a deconfliction mechanism aimed at preventing unwanted incidents in Syria.
During the meeting, Israel “made it unequivocally clear that any change in the deployment of foreign forces in Syria, in particular the establishment of Turkish bases in the Palmyra area, is a red line,” the official said.
The official added that Israel has made it clear that preventing any such activity “is the responsibility of the government in Damascus. Any activity that endangers Israel will threaten the rule of [Syrian President Ahmed] al-Sharaa.”
Meanwhile, Turkish sources said that the talks mark the beginning of efforts to set up a channel to avoid potential clashes or misunderstandings between the two countries’ operations in the region.
“Efforts will continue to establish this mechanism,” one of the sources says, without providing further details on the scope or timeline of the talks.
Turkey, which backed Islamists-led forces that overthrew the regime of Bashar al-Assad last December, has been working to build a strategic alliance, including a defense pact, with the interim government installed by its allies in Syria.
On the other hand, Israel has been waging a military campaign to push the forces of Syria’s new Islamist-led interim government away from the occupied Golan Heights and destroy the military capabilities of the war-torn country.
In recent weeks tensions between the two sides built up as Israeli strikes hit Palmyra and two other air bases in central Syria, T4 and Hama, which were scouted by the Turkish military for possible deployment, according to Reuters. Another report by the Middle East Eye revealed Turkish plans to deploy air defenses and combat drones in the region.
The Israeli-Turkish technical talks on Syria were first reported by Channel 12 news on April 9. An Israeli official told the channel that the aim of the talk was to establish a deconfliction mechanism “similar to the one built between Israel and Russia.”
Earlier in the day, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said in a live interview on CNN Turk that the two countries have been holding talks on the matter “when needed.”
“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 US and Russia,” the minister said.
“There are technical contacts to prevent combat elements from misunderstanding each other,” HE continued, adding that technical teams are communicating “when needed.”
Separately, a senior Israeli official told the Ynet news site that during a security cabinet meeting late on April 9, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told ministers that Israel is not seeking a confrontation with Turkey in Syria, but will not hesitate to act if necessary to defend itself.
The fact that talks were held in Azerbijan was not surprising, as Baku enjoys excellent relations with both Israel and Turkey.
At the annual ADA University Policy Forum in Baku earlier on April 9, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev referenced his country’s past role in facilitating Israeli-Turkish ties, noting that “both countries are close friends of Azerbaijan.”
“We hope that the process will lead to normalization,” Aliyev said. “I think, despite the legitimate concerns and despite the quite a high level of mistrust, there can still be found grounds for normalization and areas of mutual interest. So the process, to my mind, should not stop, and Azerbaijan is doing everything in its position to facilitate the process.”
Earlier in the week, United States President Donald Trump touted himself as a possible mediator between Israel and Turkey.
Trump, speaking alongside Netanyahu during the premier’s White House visit on April 7, said that negotiations could be helped by the president’s “great relations” with Erdogan, whom he said he likes very much and called “very smart.” He went on to acknowledge Turkey’s dominance in Syria, saying he told Erdogan he had “taken it over through surrogates.”
“I told the [Israeli] prime minister, I said, ‘Bibi, if you have a problem with Turkey, I really think I’m going to be able to work it out,’” Trump told reporters, using Netanyahu’s nickname.
“You know, I have a very, very good relationship with Turkey and with their leader, and I think we’ll be able to work it out,” he added. “As long as you are reasonable, you have to be reasonable.”
The recent developments indicate that Israel is determined to prevent Turkey from establishing any substantial military presence in central Syria. Turkey will not likely escalate as a confrontation with Israel could put all of its gains in the country at risk.
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