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Netanyahu Believes Confrontation with Türkiye in Syria is 'Inevitable'

Israeli army tanks and a bulldozer drive through the Abu Diab military post on March 19, 2025, on the southern outskirts of the Syrian border town of Quneitra, which locals say had Russian forces' presence before the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024. (Photo by Bakr ALKASEM / AFP)
Israeli army tanks and a bulldozer drive through the Abu Diab military post on March 19, 2025, on the southern outskirts of the Syrian border town of Quneitra, which locals say had Russian forces' presence before the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024. (Photo by Bakr ALKASEM / AFP)
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Netanyahu Believes Confrontation with Türkiye in Syria is 'Inevitable'

Israeli army tanks and a bulldozer drive through the Abu Diab military post on March 19, 2025, on the southern outskirts of the Syrian border town of Quneitra, which locals say had Russian forces' presence before the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024. (Photo by Bakr ALKASEM / AFP)
Israeli army tanks and a bulldozer drive through the Abu Diab military post on March 19, 2025, on the southern outskirts of the Syrian border town of Quneitra, which locals say had Russian forces' presence before the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024. (Photo by Bakr ALKASEM / AFP)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is holding security consultations to discuss concerns over Turkish influence in Syria following the fall of Bashar Assad’s regime, and is trying to portray a confrontation with Ankara as inevitable, Israeli security sources said.
The Hebrew website Walla, citing security sources, said Syria is holding contacts with Türkiye regarding the transfer of areas near Palmyra (central Syria) to the Turkish army in exchange for economic and military support for Damascus. This development sparked significant Israeli concerns, the sources said.
They noted that the new Syrian regime is working to restore military bases and enhance missile and defense capabilities in the south, near Israel.
Also, Channel 12 reported that Netanyahu, through his advisors, is pushing Israeli media to portray that “a confrontation with Türkiye on Syrian territory is inevitable.”
In January, a confidential Israeli government study group delivered a warning about the Türkiye-Syria alliance. The committee’s report urged Netanyahu to prepare for a potential war with Ankara in Syria.
Also, the Jerusalem Post said Israel must prepare for a direct confrontation with Türkiye, according to the Nagel Committee’s latest report on the defense budget and security strategy.
It noted that the committee, established by the Israeli government, warns that Ankara’s ambitions to restore its Ottoman-era influence could lead to heightened tensions with Israel, possibly escalating into conflict.
The report highlights the risk of Syrian factions aligning with Türkiye, creating a new and potent threat to Israel’s security.
“The threat from Syria could evolve into something even more dangerous than the Iranian threat,” the report states, warning that Turkish-backed forces might act as proxies, fueling regional instability.
Meanwhile, Syria TV said two members of the Syrian defense ministry's 42nd Division were injured in the Israeli airstrike that targeted the Palmyra military airport last Friday night.
Later, the channel reported that US helicopters flew at low altitudes over Deir Ezzor.
Last week, Syrian state news agency, SANA, said Israeli strikes on the southern Syria province of Deraa killed and wounded several civilians.

 

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Arab World

Iraqi Authorities Make Late Admission of Makeshift Israeli Base in Desert

Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces are seen during their operation in the Karbala desert on May 12, 2026. (PMF)
Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces are seen during their operation in the Karbala desert on May 12, 2026. (PMF)
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Iraqi Authorities Make Late Admission of Makeshift Israeli Base in Desert

Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces are seen during their operation in the Karbala desert on May 12, 2026. (PMF)
Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces are seen during their operation in the Karbala desert on May 12, 2026. (PMF)

Iraqi authorities are still trying to contain the embarrassment caused by reports that an Israeli force was stationed in a desert area between Najaf and Karbala in early March, taking what observers describe as belated security measures while issuing conflicting accounts of the incident.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday that Israel had set up a secret makeshift military base in the Iraqi desert to support its war against Iran, which began on Feb. 28, 2026.

Citing US officials, the newspaper said Israel built the site to support its air campaign against Iran and carried out airstrikes on Iraqi forces that nearly uncovered it early in the war.

On Tuesday, Iraqi army Chief of Staff General Abdul Amir Rashid Yarallah arrived in the Al-Nukhaib district of Karbala with a senior military delegation to review security conditions.

The Defense Ministry said the visit was aimed at following up on security preparations and assessing the latest developments in the area.

The statements by security bodies and officials appeared increasingly contradictory. On Tuesday, Karbala Operations Commander Ali al-Hashemi acknowledged that an Israeli force had been present inside Iraqi territory in early March.

Media outlets quoted Hashemi as saying the force in the Najaf desert in March was Israeli and “did not remain for more than 48 hours.”

Tahseen al-Khafaji, the Defense Ministry’s media director, said the “unknown force” had been carrying American weapons and had been in the area for only a few hours. He denied that it had set up a military base.

‘Imposing sovereignty’

In a related move, the Popular Mobilization Forces announced on Tuesday the launch of an operation to “impose sovereignty” the Najaf and Karbala desert. The operation was ordered by the commander-in-chief of the armed forces and is being supervised by Yarallah, according to a statement.

Ali al-Hamdani, commander of the PMF’s Middle Euphrates operations, said the operation began along four axes in the Najaf and Karbala desert to secure the road linking the city of Karbala to Al-Nukhaib.

He said the forces were conducting search-and-comb operations as deep as 70 kilometers, under strict military plans and with a high level of professionalism.

Denial

Iraq’s Joint Operations Command on Monday denied the presence of any unauthorized bases or forces on Iraqi territory.

“We are closely following statements and reports about the presence of unauthorized bases and forces on Iraqi territory, specifically in the Karbala desert east of Al-Nukhaib and Najaf,” it said.

It said the issue stemmed from an incident on March 5 when Iraqi security forces from Karbala and Najaf moved into the area and clashed with unknown, unauthorized detachments backed at the time by aircraft.

One Iraqi security fighter was killed, two others were wounded, and a vehicle was disabled.

It said its units and commands, under the direction and planning of the Joint Operations Command, were continuing regular searches of all sectors, especially desert areas, up to Iraq’s international borders. It stressed that no unauthorized bases or forces had been present since the March incident.

Criticism

The revelation that an Israeli force had been present on Iraqi territory triggered criticism of the government and security leadership.

The Joint Operations Command said some parties were trying to exploit the incident politically and were making “one-upmanship” statements without knowing the facts.

It said such statements harmed Iraq’s reputation and that of its security leadership, which “confirms, indeed asserts,” that there are currently no unauthorized forces or bases on Iraqi territory.

Former Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi sharply criticized authorities on Monday over the breach.

“A state in whose name slogans of sovereignty and security preservation are raised must not be surprised by incidents of this scale on its territory, nor should it be run according to the logic of media images and propaganda victories. Reality reveals a dangerous fragility in control, decision-making, and oversight,” Kadhimi said in a post on X.

He said Iraq’s protection cannot be secured through speeches or political promotion campaigns, but by building a state that owns its decision, imposes its authority over all its territory, subjects weapons to the law, and prevents the country from becoming an open arena for settling regional and international conflicts.

Arab World

Syria Arrests Former Assad-era Air Force Chief of Staff

FILE PHOTO: Guard standing near an image of Syria's Bashar al-Assad at the fourth division headquarters in Damascus, Syria, January 23, 2025 REUTERS/Yamam Al Shaar/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Guard standing near an image of Syria's Bashar al-Assad at the fourth division headquarters in Damascus, Syria, January 23, 2025 REUTERS/Yamam Al Shaar/File Photo
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Syria Arrests Former Assad-era Air Force Chief of Staff

FILE PHOTO: Guard standing near an image of Syria's Bashar al-Assad at the fourth division headquarters in Damascus, Syria, January 23, 2025 REUTERS/Yamam Al Shaar/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Guard standing near an image of Syria's Bashar al-Assad at the fourth division headquarters in Damascus, Syria, January 23, 2025 REUTERS/Yamam Al Shaar/File Photo

Syrian authorities said Tuesday that they had arrested a former air force chief of staff under Bashar al-Assad who was sanctioned by the European Union including for his role in chemical attacks.

Since Assad's December 2024 overthrow, Syria's new authorities have periodically announced the arrest of military and security officials involved in atrocities during Syria's more than decade-long civil war.

Last month, authorities launched the first trials for such senior figures as part of their commitment to providing justice for victims and their families.

An interior ministry statement announced the arrest of Jayez al-Moussa, "chief of staff for the air force during the era of the former regime" in a security operation.

Moussa served for more than four decades in Syria's military under the Assad dynasty.

After the civil war erupted in 2011, he took control of the 20th division, which ran six military airports, before becoming air force chief of staff in early 2015.

For a time, he was responsible for coordinating with Russian forces, which intervened militarily in Syria's conflict on Assad's behalf later that year.

After retiring in 2016, Moussa was named governor of northeast Syria's Hasakah province.

He hails from an Arab tribe in the eastern Deir Ezzor province and is known for his absolute loyalty to Assad and his calls to crush the former leader's adversaries.

The EU added Moussa to its sanctions list in 2017, saying he was responsible "for the violent repression of the civilian population in Syria, including the use of chemical weapons attacks" during his tenure as air force chief.

Syrian authorities have recently announced the arrest of a number of Assad-era figures, including two former generals detained on Friday, one of whom is accused of involvement in a 2013 chemical attack on a Damascus suburb.

Arab World

ISIS Claims Deadly Attack on Syrian Government Forces 

Syrian security forces in Aleppo (File/Reuters)
Syrian security forces in Aleppo (File/Reuters)
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ISIS Claims Deadly Attack on Syrian Government Forces 

Syrian security forces in Aleppo (File/Reuters)
Syrian security forces in Aleppo (File/Reuters)

ISIS claimed responsibility on Tuesday for an attack in eastern Syria that killed two Syrian army soldiers, the militant group's first deadly operation against the Syrian government since February.

Monday's attack in the eastern province of Hasakah points to the lingering threat posed by ISIS as President Ahmed al-Sharaa seeks to consolidate government authority over the country, nearly 1-1/2 years after he ousted Bashar al-Assad.

The Syrian state news agency SANA reported on Monday that two Syrian army soldiers were killed and others wounded in an attack by unknown assailants on a bus in the Hasakah countryside, Reuters reported.

ISIS, in a brief statement posted on its Amaq News Agency, said its fighters had killed and wounded six members of "the apostate Syrian army" during an ambush in the same area.

ISIS controlled around a quarter or more of Syria at the peak of its power during the Syrian civil war a decade ago, before it was beaten out of the territory by a US-led coalition and other foes.

The Syrian government under Sharaa last year joined the US-led coalition to combat ISIS.

ISIS in February declared a new phase of operations against Sharaa's government, and carried out a spate of attacks including one that killed four Syrian government security personnel near Raqqa city.