ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday accused Israel of "aggressive actions" in Syria, warning they could lead to "unfavorable outcomes for everyone." The Israeli foreign ministry reacted by calling Turkey "the aggressive imperialist actor" in the region. "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,” Erdogan said at a parliamentary group meeting of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Ankara on Wednesday. A coalition of rebel groups spearheaded by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) ousted former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in a blistering offensive last month, forming a transitional government headed by Ahmad al-Sharaa, better known for his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Jolani. After the fall of Assad, Israel launched airstrikes on Syrian military positions and alleged chemical weapons facilities previously held by the Assad government. Israel has also conducted a ground invasion, capturing strategic areas like the buffer zone between the Golan Heights and Syrian territory. “The aggressive imperialist actor in Syria (as well as in northern Cyprus, Libya, and other areas in the Middle East) is Turkey itself, and it is advisable for the Turkish president to avoid unnecessary threats,” the Israeli foreign ministry said in a post on X, rejecting Erdogan’s remarks made earlier in the day. Turkey has previously expressed readiness to provide military and logistical support to the new Damascus administration. "There can be nothing more natural than Turkey intervening in the neighboring country [Syria], driven by completely justifiable and legitimate reasons, especially humanitarian ones," Erdogan noted. Turkey severed diplomatic ties with Assad in 2011 after his regime's crackdown on peaceful protesters, with Erdogan labeling him a dictator. Throughout the Syrian civil war, Ankara has backed militia groups and conducted incursions into Syrian territory, including Kurdish-held areas in northern Syria.
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