Turkiye dismisses claims of troop presence in Syria as 'baseless'

(Istanbul = Yonhap News) Correspondent Kim Dong-ho = On the 19th (local time), Turkiye dismissed Israel's point that its troops would be stationed in Syria as a "groundless claim."

“These claims stem from Netanyahu’s intention to pursue expansionist and destabilizing policies in the Middle East ahead of Israel’s general elections,” President Turkiye’s press office said in a statement.

The Public Information Office said, “Turkiye, like most of the international community, supports the establishment of lasting peace in the region,” and added, “The only way for this to happen is for Netanyahu to give up aggressive and coercive policies and respect international law.”

He also emphasized, “Turkiye will firmly cooperate with the Syrian government on a legal basis for the peace, stability and prosperity of Syria and will never tolerate destabilization of Syria.”

This position was taken to refute the fact that the previous day, Israel had carried out a surprise airstrike on the Abu al-Juhur (Al-Duhur) air base in Idlib, northern Syria, close to Turkiye, and blamed it on Turkiye's military movements.

The Israeli Prime Minister's Office said in a statement, "Israel and Syria had agreed to maintain the status quo on security issues, but Syria was about to violate the agreement by allowing the deployment of Turkiye forces at an air base near Aleppo."

He also claimed, “Israel has repeatedly warned that this is a threat to Israeli security, but Syria has ignored this,” and added, “Israel will never tolerate security threats, and will welcome a return to the status quo.”

During the war in the Gaza Strip, which began with a surprise attack on Israel by the Palestinian armed political faction Hamas in October 2023, the relationship between the two countries deteriorated rapidly as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan fiercely criticized the military policy of the Israeli cabinet led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Türkiye is actively supporting the interim government centered on the Sunni Islamist rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which ousted the dictatorship of Bashar al-Assad from Syria in December 2024, and in the process, tensions with Israel, which is trying to establish a buffer zone around the Golan Heights, a disputed area in Syria, are further increasing.