Turkish President Erdoğan warns of 'unfavorable outcomes' if Israel doesn’t leave Syria
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan demanded on Wednesday that Israel withdraw its troops from neighboring Syria. The Turkish leader made his warning without elaborating of “unfavorable outcomes” for Israel and other countries in the region if they didn't comply.
"The aggressive actions of the forces attacking Syrian territory, Israel, in particular, must come to an end as soon as possible. Otherwise, it will cause unfavorable outcomes for everyone," Erdoğan said while addressing his Islamic Justice and Development Party.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry rejected the Turkish threats and emphasized that the Jewish state would continue defending its borders against various threats.
Following the rapid collapse of the former Syrian Assad regime in December, the Israeli government ordered the Israeli military to seize the strategically important buffer zone between Syria and Israel. The purpose is to prevent anti-Israel Islamists from entering the area and threatening Israeli border communities.
“Israel will not permit jihadi groups to fill that vacuum and threaten Israeli communities on the Golan Heights with October 7th-style attacks. That is why Israeli forces entered the buffer zone and took control of strategic sites near Israel’s border,” the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office stated at the time.
“This deployment is temporary until a force that is committed to the 1974 agreement can be established and security on our border can be guaranteed,” it added.
While Israel welcomed the fall of the anti-Israel Assad regime, Jerusalem does not trust Syria’s new Islamic rulers.
“The regime in Damascus is essentially a gang – not a legitimate government. Other areas, like Idlib, are controlled by Islamist groups with extreme ideologies,” Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said in late December.
While Israel does not have any territorial claims in Syria, it is unclear when the Israeli military would withdraw from the buffer zone given the volatile security situation in the country. Given the threats against Israel, senior Israeli officials recently estimated that Israel would need to maintain a 15-kilometer “security buffer” inside Syria for the foreseeable future.
While Turkey demands an Israeli withdrawal, Erdoğan has simultaneously threatened to invade Syria under the pretext that it seeks to uproot “terrorism” in the country, a reference mainly to Kurdish forces in the country.
The Turkish leader also remarked that Syria’s new Turkish-backed Islamic leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, should have an opportunity to consolidate its power and address the presence of the American-backed Kurdish YPG military in the northeastern part of Syria. Erdogan dismissed Western concerns that al-Jolani secretly still embraces his Jihadist past.
"Regarding fabricated excuses like Islamic State, these have no convincing side anymore," Erdogan said. The Turkish leader further claimed that his country would solve the security challenges in Syria.
"If there is really a fear of the Islamic State threat in Syria and the region, the biggest power that has the will and power to resolve this issue is Turkey.”
"Everyone should take their hands off Syria and we, along with our Syrian siblings, will crush the heads of Islamic State, the YPG, and other terrorist organizations in a short time," Erdoğan added.
The Turkish leader who backs the Islamist terrorist organization Hamas, addressed the emerging hostage and ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel.
"With the achievement of a cease-fire in Gaza, where genocide has been ongoing for 15 months, a significant opportunity will arise for lasting peace and stability across the region. We are closely monitoring the cease-fire talks between Israel and Hamas and hope to receive positive news soon," Erdoğan said, reiterating his claims of genocide in Gaza.
The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.