Israel-Turkey Rivalry Moves Into Syria as Washington Tries To Prevent a Wider Clash

Prof. Kobi Michael: First of all, unfortunately, this is a direct friction or collision between Israel and Turkey. Both sides do not wish to have such direct friction between them, certainly not currently.

From the Israeli perspective, the central concern is not simply Turkish political influence in Damascus but the possibility of Turkish military infrastructure eventually restricting Israeli operations in Syrian airspace.

Israel cannot accept Turkish military deployment in Syria because Israel must preserve full freedom of action, particularly aerial freedom of movement over Syria. We have not finished with Iran yet.

The full interview was published in The Media Line, on August 23, 2026.

*The opinions expressed in Misgav publications are the authors’ alone.