Former Israeli security official: Turkey's regional influence is much wider than Syria

MİLLİYET.COM.TR / While the cards were being redistributed in the Middle East, another remarkable analysis of Türkiye came from the Israeli side. Israel's former National Security Council Chairman Meir Ben-Shabbat, in an exclusive interview with Maariv, argued that the power vacuum in the region has widened the area in front of Turkey.

In Ben-Shabbat's assessment, Türkiye was considered within a broad equation ranging from developments in Syria to the Eastern Mediterranean, from defense partnerships to Africa. The message was given that the steps taken by Ankara directly concern not only Turkey's immediate surroundings but also Israel's regional accounts.

'TURKISH LIONS SURROUNDED US'

The words of the former Israeli security official revealed a remarkable picture of Turkey's rising regional weight on the Israeli side.

Ben-Shabbat said, "Turkey is strengthening its regional position in the shadow of the competition between global powers and the transformation in the Middle East. Especially after the developments in Syria, Ankara's field of action has expanded significantly. While Turkey's influence in the country has moved far beyond the northern regions, Turkish lions have surrounded us."

'NOT JUST SYRIA'

In the interview in Maariv, it was particularly emphasized that Turkey's rising influence is not limited to Syria. Ben-Shabbat evaluated Ankara's policies in the Eastern Mediterranean, its activities in Africa, intercontinental trade corridors and defense cooperation as parts of the same grand strategy.

The defense cooperation developed by Turkey with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan was also brought to the agenda in this context. It was argued that Ankara's relations with different regional actors expanded Turkey's diplomatic and strategic field of action.

'POWER INDICATOR'

At this point, Blue Homeland was one of the striking topics of the interview. Turkey's maritime vision in the Eastern Mediterranean was considered as another indicator of Ankara's regional power capacity.

'Türkiye IS NOT IRAN'

One of the details that stood out in the Israeli official's assessment of Türkiye was the separation between Ankara and Tehran.

Ben-Shabbat particularly emphasized that Turkey is different from Iran. He stated that Turkey's membership in NATO and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's positive relations with US President Donald Trump are among the factors that put Ankara in a different position.

'RED LINES'

For this reason, Ben-Shabbat argued that Israel should clearly state its red lines in Syria in order to prevent the strategic competition with Türkiye from turning into a military conflict.

'MAPS ARE BEING RESHAPE'

The picture that emerged in the Turkey part of the interview was discussed together with the evaluations about the changing centers of power in the Middle East, while Ankara's influence in Syria, the Eastern Mediterranean, defense diplomacy, Africa and new regional partnerships were shown in the same equation.