Turkish FM warns against Israel’s expansionist moves in southern Syria

Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has warned that Israel’s expanding military activities in southern Syria risk creating a new flashpoint along Türkiye’s border, saying Ankara “will never allow” threats to its national security from its southern neighbour.

Speaking before Parliament’s budget committee on November 18, Fidan criticised what he described as escalating Israeli operations in Syria’s Quneitra, Deraa and Suwaida provinces, arguing that the moves were undermining regional stability and Syria’s territorial integrity, Caliber.Az reports per Turkish media.

Fidan said Türkiye had adopted a “systematic approach” to strengthening Syria’s counterterrorism capabilities in response to the situation.

“We will never allow a hostile environment that may threaten our national security in Syria,” he told lawmakers.

Concerns over Israel’s post-Assad strategy

According to Syrian government figures cited by Daily Sabah, Israel has launched over 1,000 airstrikes and carried out more than 400 cross-border raids into southern Syria since December 2024. Following the collapse of the Assad regime late last year, Israeli forces reportedly expanded control over the demilitarised buffer zone in the Golan Heights, breaching the 1974 Disengagement Agreement.

Ankara, which has repeatedly criticised Israeli expansionism in the region, fears the spillover effects of instability near its borders. At one point, Israeli officials were seen to signal support for the YPG, the Syrian arm of the PKK militant network — a group responsible for thousands of deaths in Türkiye since the 1980s.

Backing for Syria’s new administration

Türkiye has aligned itself closely with Syria’s post-war administration led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, supporting efforts to rebuild state institutions. Ankara has backed the integration of YPG fighters into a unified national army under a U.S.- and Damascus-brokered plan agreed on 10 March.

Fidan insisted that Syria must be fully cleared of terrorist elements, particularly PKK and Daesh affiliates, and that all armed factions should be incorporated into a single military structure. Turkish and Syrian defence ministries signed a cooperation deal in August, enabling Türkiye to train and advise Syrian security forces.

By Aghakazim Guliyev