ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday accused Israel of attempting to provoke a new conflict in Syria and stressed that Ankara will not allow that to happen.
“The Israeli provocation promises only blood, tears, and death. One and whole Syria is the formula for a prosperous future. As we have always said, we will not and will not allow our neighbor Syria to be dragged into a new climate of conflict,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters in the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, as cited by the state-owned Anadolu Agency.
He condemned Israel’s recent airstrikes near Syria’s presidential palace in Damascus and accused Israel of fueling regional instability. "Türkiye will not allow Syria to be drawn into a new conflict,” the Turkish president said.
“A climate of peace and stability is the last thing Israel wants,” Erdogan said. “Israel is disturbed by the end of civil war in Syria, Syrian people’s right to determine their own future, as well as winds of unity and integrity.”
Israel said early Friday morning that its warplanes struck in the vicinity of the presidential palace in Damascus after warning the Syrian government not to deploy forces to Druze-majority areas in the south.
Syria condemned the Israeli attacks and called for international support.
Israel has carried out several airstrikes in southern Syria in recent days in support of the Druze community, who have come under attack by armed groups affiliated with the new administration.
The violence was reportedly triggered by an offensive audio clip about the Prophet Muhammad, initially attributed to a Druze cleric but later reported as fake by Druze leaders and Damascus. The deadly violence has drawn international condemnation.
"Israel, which does not hesitate to throw the region into fire, is also very disturbed by Turkey’s power in the region and the gains it has achieved. The Syrian government is trying to ensure peace, social peace, and economic development in the country after the revolution. Although they face difficulties, they are making great efforts,” Erdogan stressed.
On Turkey’s decision to sever trade ties with Israel, Erdogan said it was made based on the principle that “the enemy of my enemy is also hostile to us.”
“We are closely following what kind of steps it [Israel] will take or plans to take regarding Turkey,” he noted.
Turkey is close to the new administration in Damascus, led by interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa whose Islamist group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) spearheaded the swift offensive that toppled the regime of Bashar al-Assad in December.
