Maariv, one of Israel's leading newspapers, scrutinized the future of tension between Tel Aviv and Ankara following the attacks on the Abu Zuhur Military Air Base in northern Syria. Experts speaking to the newspaper pointed out Türkiye's increasing influence in the region and evaluated that a direct military conflict with Ankara would pose a much greater strategic risk for Israel.
ISRAELI EXPERT'S EMPHASIS ON TURKEY: THE LEADING REGIONAL POWER
Meir Ben-Shabbat, former National Security Advisor and Chairman of the National Security Council, one of the architects of the Abraham Accords and President of the Misgav Zionist Strategy and National Security Institute, said that Türkiye's influence in the Middle East is gradually increasing.
Ben-Şabbat stated that Türkiye is expanding its influence by taking advantage of the developments and power competition in the region and said, "Turkey is shaping the world order and strengthening its position as a leading regional power by taking advantage of the changes in the Middle East and the competition between powers."
Dani Citrinovich, senior research fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), said that Türkiye and Iran should not be evaluated in the same category.
"Türkiye IS NOT IRAN"
Citrinovich drew attention to the difference between Ankara and Tehran, saying "Türkiye is not Iran."
Citrinovich stated that the main goal for Israel is to prevent the competition from turning into a direct military conflict, rather than seeing Türkiye as a rival.
Pointing out that Türkiye is a member of NATO and that President Erdoğan maintains close relations with US President Donald Trump, Citrinovich said that the military capacity of the Turkish army is significantly larger and more advanced than the rivals that Israel has faced in recent years.
Marom, who works as a senior researcher at the Begin-Sadat Institute, stated that it is unlikely at this stage that Israel will be dragged into a direct conflict with Türkiye due to the developments in Syria. The former Israeli commander emphasized that Türkiye's NATO membership is an important balancing factor.
"There are enough restraining factors to prevent this from happening. First, Turkey is a member of NATO, which is a very important restraining factor. Secondly, Turkey will want to join the European Union at some point. Thirdly, the Turkish economy is not in the best shape, so I don't think Erdogan will make a decision right now and go to war against Israel," Marom said.
In another report, Maariv included evaluations about how far the tension between Tel Aviv and Ankara could go.
In its news titled "Israel broke its silence and targeted Turkey", Maariv claimed, "The military airport, located at a critical point in Syria, is 70-80 kilometers from the Turkish border. It is thought that there are Turkish Forces in the region. Considering the recent bilateral relations on the Ankara-Damascus line, Israel had to make a move now."
According to Maariv, Israel expanded its attacks across Syria after the overthrow of the Assad regime and continued to target strategic military facilities as well as weapons and missile depots.
CHANNEL 13: WE TAKEN THE RISK OF CONFLICT WITH Türkiye
Israeli TV Channel 13, in its news titled "We took the risk of conflict with Turkey", said: "Damascus ignored our warnings and would allow Turkish forces to be stationed there. We could not allow this."
In addition, the news pointed out that Tel Aviv is worried about two main issues regarding Ankara and said, "The presence of a Turkish base in Syria is a clear signal to prevent Israel from acting freely in Syria. Our second concern is the Turkish navy. With the number of aircraft carriers and more than 12 submarines, they cannot be underestimated."
Speaking to Channel 13, an official from the Israeli army said, "The last thing we need is an open war with the Turkish army. However, we seem to be taking the risk of conflict with this move."
SCANDAL SHARING FROM OFFICIAL ACCOUNT
Following the attack, a striking post targeting Turkey was made on the official X account of the Israeli Prime Ministry.
The post attempted to legitimize the attack by using the following statement: "Israel and Syria had agreed on the status quo on security issues. Syria was on the verge of violating this status quo by allowing the deployment of Turkish troops to an air base near Aleppo. Israel repeatedly warned Syria that such a deployment would pose a threat to Israel's security. Syria chose to ignore these warnings."
REMARKABLE SUGGESTION FROM BARRACK
US Special Representative for Syria and Türkiye Tom Barrack said that Israel's attack on Syria increases the risk of military conflict between Türkiye, Syria and Israel.
Barrack suggested establishing a new communication mechanism, including Türkiye, to control the tension in the region.
Pointing out the importance of keeping communication channels open in the region, Barrack stated that it would be beneficial to establish a cooperation unit where personnel who speak Turkish, Arabic, English and Hebrew will work 24 hours a day.
US Ambassador to Syria and Turkey Tom Barrack also emphasized that the tension in the region should be taken under control and said, "This situation underlines the need for a conflict resolution mechanism that includes Israel, Syria and Türkiye, on which we are actively working."
While evaluating Israel's attack, Barrack said, "This is an unnecessary escalation."
Barrack stated that the attack carried the risk of turning into a direct military conflict between Turkey, Syria and Israel, and said, "The events that took place yesterday were serious and worrying. However, we are relieved that there was no loss of life and the situation did not escalate."
Stating that "secret negotiations" are continuing to reactivate the Israel-Syria conflict prevention mechanism, Barrack said that Türkiye could also be included in this process.
