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Türkiye Says Ready to Offer Military Training to Syria if New Administration Requests

People inspect the site of a mass grave from the rule of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, according to residents, after the ousting of al-Assad, in Najha, Syria, December 15, 2024. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh
People inspect the site of a mass grave from the rule of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, according to residents, after the ousting of al-Assad, in Najha, Syria, December 15, 2024. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh
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Türkiye Says Ready to Offer Military Training to Syria if New Administration Requests

People inspect the site of a mass grave from the rule of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, according to residents, after the ousting of al-Assad, in Najha, Syria, December 15, 2024. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh
People inspect the site of a mass grave from the rule of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, according to residents, after the ousting of al-Assad, in Najha, Syria, December 15, 2024. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

The new administration in Syria should be given a chance to govern following their constructive messages, and Türkiye stands ready to provide military training if such help is requested, Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler said.

NATO member Türkiye backed the Syrian opposition that toppled President Bashar al-Assad last weekend, ending a 13-year civil war. Türkiye reopened its embassy in Damascus on Saturday, two days after its intelligence chief visited the Syrian capital.

"In their first statement, the new administration that toppled Assad announced that it would respect all government institutions, the United Nations and other international organizations," Guler told reporters in Ankara in comments authorized for publication on Sunday.
"We think that we need to see what the new administration will do and to give them a chance,” Reuters quoted him as saying.

When asked whether Türkiye was considering military cooperation with the new Syrian government, Guler said Ankara already had military cooperation and training agreements with many countries.

"(Türkiye) is ready to provide the necessary support if the new administration requests it," he added.

Since 2016, Türkiye has mounted four military operations across growing swathes of northern Syria, citing threats to its national security.
Türkiye is estimated to maintain a few thousand troops in towns including Afrin, Azez and Jarablus in northwestern Syria and Ras al Ain and Tel Abyad in the northeast.
Ankara may discuss and reevaluate the issue of Türkiye's military presence in Syria with the new Syrian administration "when necessary conditions arise", Guler said.

Türkiye's priority remains the elimination of the Kurdish YPG, part of a US-backed Syrian opposition group, and it has made this clear to Washington, Guler said.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which controls some of Syria's largest oil fields, is the main ally in the US coalition against ISIS militants. It is spearheaded by the YPG, a group that Ankara sees as an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), whose militant fighters have battled the Turkish state for 40 years.
"In the new period, the PKK/YPG terrorist organization in Syria will be eliminated sooner or later," Guler said.
"Members of the organization coming from outside Syria will leave Syria. Those who are Syrian will lay down their weapons."
Guler said Türkiye saw no sign of a resurgence of ISIS in Syria, contrary to the US view.
"Has anyone heard of any attacks by DAESH terrorists in Syria in the last three years? We don't see or hear anything about DAESH at the moment," he said, using the Arabic acronym for ISIS.

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Arab World

Houthi Charges of Espionage: A Tool to Intimidate, Control the Population

Houthis demonstrate in the center of the capital Sanaa against American and British strikes on their positions. (AP)
Houthis demonstrate in the center of the capital Sanaa against American and British strikes on their positions. (AP)
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Houthi Charges of Espionage: A Tool to Intimidate, Control the Population

Houthis demonstrate in the center of the capital Sanaa against American and British strikes on their positions. (AP)
Houthis demonstrate in the center of the capital Sanaa against American and British strikes on their positions. (AP)

The Houthi militia has recently released several individuals it had abducted for celebrating Yemen’s September Revolution. However, over the past few days, it has detained hundreds of residents in its stronghold of Saada, accusing them of espionage.

The campaign coincides with the airing of alleged confessions from a purported spy cell and the abduction of a former employee of the US Embassy in Yemen.

Local sources in Saada province, approximately 242 kilometers north of Sanaa, report that the Houthis have launched a widespread campaign of arrests targeting civilians. These individuals have been taken from their homes, workplaces, and businesses under allegations of collaborating with Western nations and Israel. Families of those detained have been warned to remain silent and refrain from discussing the arrests with the media or on social media platforms.

According to the sources, more than 300 individuals, including dozens of women, have been abducted across various districts in Saada. The arrests have also targeted relatives and associates of Othman Mujalli, a member of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, who hails from the region.

The sources suggest that the Houthis are detaining women as hostages to pressure their relatives, who may either be out of the militia’s reach or living outside Houthi-controlled areas. They also appear to be using the women to coerce confessions from male relatives. Last month, the Houthis accused Hamid Mujalli, Othman Mujalli’s brother, of engaging in espionage for Arab and Western nations for nearly two decades.

In a separate incident, the Houthis abducted a former employee of the US Embassy in Sanaa from his home on Monday without providing any explanation for their actions.

Release of Detainees

The Houthis recently released Sheikh Amin Rajeh, a tribal leader from Ibb province, after detaining him for four months. Several other individuals were also freed, none of whom had been formally charged during their detention. Rajeh, a member of the General People’s Congress Party, was one of many political activists, students, workers, and public employees abducted in September for celebrating Yemen’s September 26, 1962, revolution.

One of the released individuals, a shop owner, told Asharq Al-Awsat that he was unaware of the reason for his detention. He had been abducted in November, two months after the Houthis initiated a crackdown on those commemorating the revolution.

Alleged Spy Cell

Houthi-controlled media recently broadcast confessions from what they claimed was a newly uncovered spy cell. The group linked the cell to its broader narrative of “promised conquest and sacred jihad” against the West and Israel.

According to Houthi security officials, the alleged spy cell was working to compile a “target database,” monitor sites linked to missile forces and drones, and track specific military and security locations. They also claimed the cell had been observing the residences and movements of Houthi leaders.

In response, the Houthis issued warnings to residents, forbidding them from discussing or sharing information about militia-controlled sites, facilities, or the whereabouts of their leaders.

The Houthis’ actions reflect mounting concerns over potential strikes targeting their senior leadership, similar to the recent attacks on Hezbollah figures in Lebanon. Those fears come amid ongoing tensions with Israel, the United States, and the United Kingdom, following the Houthis’ assaults on international shipping lanes in the Red Sea and missile attacks on Israel.