Türkiye’s Defence Ministry denies reports of "hotline" agreement with Israel on Syria

The Turkish Ministry of Defence has denied claims that Ankara and Tel Aviv have agreed to establish a direct military hotline to prevent clashes in Syria, pushing back on reports circulated by Israeli media earlier this week.

In a statement published by Yeni Şafak, Turkish defence sources clarified that while discussions are ongoing regarding a de-escalation mechanism with various counterparts, no final agreement has been reached with Israel. The ministry emphasised that the public should only rely on official announcements rather than speculative or unofficial media reports.

“Technical talks are ongoing in coordination with our interlocutors regarding the establishment of a de-escalation mechanism to prevent unwanted incidents in Syria,” the ministry said. “As we have previously stated, one should not rely on news and information different from the statements of the official authorities.”

The clarification follows a report published on May 21 by Israeli outlets claiming that Türkiye and Israel had agreed, following negotiations in Azerbaijan, to create a dedicated communication line aimed at coordinating military activities and avoiding direct confrontation in Syrian territory.

Sources indicate that talks between the two countries have been underway for several months and that a fifth round of negotiations is expected to take place by the end of May.

According to the Israeli report, Türkiye has proposed deploying its ground forces in Syria—specifically infantry and armoured units—under the condition that no equipment capable of monitoring Israeli air operations would be placed at Turkish positions. This would exclude radar systems and air defence installations. The report claimed Israel has not raised objections to this arrangement as long as it does not interfere with the operations of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF).

By Tamilla Hasanova