Why does Syria matter to Israel and Turkiye?

Friday, Apr 11, 2025  
Israel and Turkiye have been holding closed-door meetings in Azerbaijan, to work out ways to avoid direct conflict in Syria. Both have a military presence there -- and accuse each other of threatening regional security. Israel has carried out hundreds of air strikes on Syria since Bashar al Assad was toppled in December, destroying military infrastructure and hardware. Turkiye says these attacks and Israel's expansion into the occupied Golan Heights are further destabilising the country. For its part, Israel has accused Ankara of trying to turn Syria into a Turkish protectorate.
So, what are the two sides trying to achieve?

Presenter: James Bays
Guests:
Barin Kayaoglu -- Assistant Professor at the Institute for Area Studies at the Social Sciences University of Ankara
Joshua Landis -- Director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma
Alon Liel -- Former Director at the Israeli Foreign Ministry

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