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The struggle for influence: Israel and Turkey seek to divide areas of control in Syria

As Israel and Turkey compete for influence in post-Assad Syria, tensions are escalating over military and economic ambitions between the two countries. Israel is seeking to counter Turkey's growing presence, while both nations are looking for agreements to partition the region to establish stability in Syria.
Tensions between Israel and Turkey, which had recently intensified, eased somewhat when Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stated at a NATO conference in Brussels that "there is no confrontation with Israel in Syria, and it is up to the Syrians to determine security matters."
Fidan's statement marked a noticeable improvement compared to the previous week when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan expressed his hope that "God would destroy Israel." This was shortly before Israeli Air Force fighter jets completely destroyed the T-4 military airport in Syria, which the Turkish army subsequently entered and controlled.
The following morning, Wednesday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Syrian leader al-Shar’a: "If you allow anti-Israel forces to enter Syria and threaten Israeli security interests, you will pay a very heavy price." To clarify that the message was not solely directed at the current Syrian governor, Katz added, "The Air Force’s activities yesterday at T-4 airport in Hama and the Damascus area are a clear message and a warning for the future. We will not allow harm to Israel’s security."
Katz refrained from explicitly naming Turkey, as Israel still hopes to avoid direct confrontation and reach an understanding with Ankara, potentially mediated by the United States and possibly Russia. However, the bombing of four major military airports in Syria that night sent a message to the "sultan" in Turkey.
Erdoğan and his party and regime are ideologically allied with the Muslim Brotherhood, of which Hamas is also a part. This is the primary reason for the long-standing animosity between Israel and Turkey, which became public after October 7, especially after the Israeli army commenced operations in the Gaza Strip.
By December 8, 2024, when the Assad regime had completely collapsed, and his loyal army dissolved, the Shiite "Axis of Resistance" suffered a severe blow, increasing concerns within the Israeli security and intelligence community about Turkey potentially exploiting the power vacuum in Syria to create a threat to Israel.
The direct source of these concerns is the close relationship between Sunni jihadist rebel groups and Turkey, which has supported them logistically and politically throughout the Syrian civil war, even after it appeared that the conflict had subsided. The Sunni rebel enclave in Idlib existed thanks to Turkey, where the Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham organization, the umbrella for jihadist rebel groups led by Ahmad al-Shar'a, the former leader of al-Qaeda in Syria, overthrew the Assad regime.
Learning from the events of October 7, the Israeli army seized every opportunity and positioned itself in the buffer zone to prevent a scenario where Sunni jihadist fighters could find themselves just a few hundred meters from Israeli towns in the Golan Heights. Simultaneously, the air force bombed the strategic military infrastructure of the Syrian army and Hezbollah throughout Syria, aiming to destroy stockpiles of weapons and prevent them from falling into the hands of Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham—or more importantly, Hezbollah.
This was Israel's first strategic step to confront the direct threats posed by the collapse of the Assad regime in Syria. However, within weeks, Israel observed that Turkey intended to leverage its influence over the Sunni rebels to establish a military and economic foothold in Syria. Turkey has maintained a de facto security zone within Syrian territory for years, several miles wide, to prevent armed Kurdish groups from assisting their counterparts in the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which operates against the Turkish government in southeastern Turkey in pursuit of Kurdish autonomy.
Now, however, Erdoğan seeks to expand and solidify Turkey's military and economic presence throughout Syria as part of a "new Ottoman" strategy that Turkey has pursued over the past decade. This strategy aims to re-establish Turkey's position as a dominant regional power in the Middle East and an important player on the international stage.
Turkey has exploited every political vacuum or weakness in the Middle East, especially since the Arab Spring, to establish a foothold. Today, it has permanent military bases in eight countries throughout the Middle East and Africa, including northern Iraq, northern Syria, Qatar, Somalia, Chad, and northern Cyprus.
This expansion also serves Turkey's economic ambitions to gain control not only over gas fields in the Mediterranean but also to prevent Mediterranean countries from trading and transporting gas to Europe. The economic friction over control of gas exploration areas around Cyprus and Turkey's attempts to block the construction of an undersea gas pipeline in the Mediterranean—aimed at transporting gas from Egypt, Israel, and Cyprus to Europe—are central points of contention between Israel and Turkey.
However, the main point of tension between Jerusalem and Ankara now is Turkey's efforts to establish a presence and influence in Syria at the expense of Iran and Russia. According to global media reports, Erdoğan has suggested to al
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BENEFIT Sponsors BuildHer...
- April 23, 2025
BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”
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