PNN – Following the escalation of the Zionist regime’s aggression against Syria, which has directly affected Turkey’s interests, scenarios are being drawn for a war between Ankara and Tel Aviv, the danger of which Türkiye has sensed.
According to the report of Pakistan News Network, citing Al Jazeera, the Israeli aggression against Syria on July 16 was not the first, and since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government, Syria has been continuously exposed to Zionist aggression. But the recent aggression was the most violent in terms of form and content, where the occupiers’ attacks continued from Sweida and Daraa to the heart of Damascus, directly targeting Syrian government and military headquarters and completely destroying the army’s general headquarters building.
The impact of Zionist aggression against Syria on Turkish security
The damage caused by these Zionist aggressions against Syria was not limited to material damage, but also resulted in human casualties, including the killing of security forces, including commanders and ordinary personnel. Finally, a ceasefire was established between the Zionist regime and the Syrian interim government led by Abu Muhammad al-Julani, but this does not mean the end of the war; rather, we are facing a new round of war and conflict that has just begun, and the Zionist regime’s attacks on Syria will affect the entire region, especially Türkiye.
The 14 years of war in Syria have exposed Turkey to enormous geopolitical and security risks, forcing it to deploy its forces to northern Syria since 2016. The fall of the Bashar al-Assad government on December 8, 2024, was a major strategic victory for Türkiye, which had prepared itself to reap the benefits of this victory at the strategic and security levels.
But the movements that the Zionists began in Syria upset Turkey’s calculations. These movements indicate new dangers that Syria is exposed to, and their effects will naturally not be limited to this country; but will also spread to the entire region, especially Turkey.
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What does it mean that Türkiye’s patience is running out?
Therefore, important questions arise about how Ankara will interact with these new and serious threats: will Turkey remain indifferent and content itself with media condemnation of the Zionist regime’s aggression against Syria, or will it intend to take practical action?
The statements of Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan were filled with the country’s clear anger at the Zionist regime’s aggression against Syria. He said: Our patience is over and that’s all we will talk about with Tel Aviv, they don’t want peace.
But what does it mean that Turkey’s patience has run out? It is quite clear that with the brutal attacks of the Zionist regime on Gaza, Lebanon, and then Syria, as well as on Iran, Ankara has come to the conclusion that the flames of this war may one day reach Turkey. Official and party statements, especially those issued by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, clearly indicate the possibility of a conflict between this country and the Zionist regime at any time.
Meanwhile, it seems that the announcement of the dissolution of the PKK and the start of the handover of its weapons is aimed at uniting Türkiye’s domestic front against external threats, especially the Zionist regime.
These discussions have also extended to the arguments of conservative and nationalist Turkish writers and journalists, and there is a belief in Turkey that the option of war with the Zionist regime could occur at any moment, but at the same time, Ankara is trying to prevent it or delay this war as much as possible.
The Turkish Foreign Minister recently warned in his press statements about the policies of the Zionist regime, emphasizing that these policies will lead to everyone falling into the fire, including the regime itself.
Hakan Fidan called on the international community, especially the United States, the European Union, and regional countries, to respond seriously to the Zionist regime’s aggression; otherwise, dire consequences will certainly emerge in the entire region.
Scenarios of confrontation between Tel Aviv and Ankara and Türkiye’s options
Meanwhile, we are not exaggerating if we say that Turkey needs to calm the Syrian front for many years at this time and avoid conflict with the United States until the end of Donald Trump’s presidency. This Turkish position aims to resolve several controversial issues, including ending US sanctions against Turkey, returning Ankara to the F-35 fighter jet project, and completely closing the PKK file, along with the need to develop economic relations and increase trade volumes.
But the situation has not developed as Ankara had imagined, and Netanyahu’s aggressive and expansionist policies have created significant challenges for decision-makers in Ankara.
Any possible collapse of the new Syrian regime would be a direct threat to Turkey’s national security and its consequences would be felt even in European capitals. Therefore, Turkey needs a set of strategic measures, the most important of which are as follows:
- Creating a united position with the countries of the region, especially since the countries of the region possess the tools of global influence that enable them to exert real pressure. Hakan Fidan’s statements in this regard reflect Ankara’s awareness of the importance of joint cooperation with regional countries; where he said that we will meet with Jordanian and Saudi officials and that all parties should assess the serious problems that Netanyahu has created for the region.
- Turkey must take immediate action to resolve the issue of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on the Syrian-Turkish border, as the SDF poses a tangible threat to Turkey’s national security, especially in light of its close ties with Tel Aviv, which is trying to create a safe passage from southern Syria to the northeast of the country to support the SDF. The Syrian Democratic Forces are very dangerous to the security of this country and Türkiye because of their support for separatist groups inside Syria, as was the case in Sweida.
- Türkiye is clearly aware of all these issues, and in this context, Fidan issued a strong warning to separatist groups, saying: There are rumors about the intervention of Kurdish groups in some activities, and our message to them is to be cautious, not to exploit the unrest, and not to further complicate the critical and sensitive process in Syria; otherwise, great dangers will arise.
- Concluding a joint defense agreement with the new Syrian regime that would allow Turkey to legally have its forces on Syrian soil and the right to rebuild and train the country’s army. Of course, there has been much talk about such an agreement since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government, but no practical action has been taken so far.
In the end, the recent aggressions of the Zionist regime against Syria, apart from the numerous goals that this regime pursues, can be seen as an early warning to Turkey, so that Ankara can be prepared for any possible and sudden confrontation with the Zionist regime.