Illustrative image. (The Israeli Defense Forces)
Turkey scouted at least three air bases in central Syria where it could deploy forces as part of a planned joint defense pact with the country’s Islamist-led interim government before Israel hit the sites, Reuters reported on April 4, citing four people familiar with the matter.
A regional intelligence official, Two Syrian military sources and another Syrian source familiar with the matter told the news agency that Turkish military teams visited the T4 and Palmyra air bases in eastern Homs countryside, as well as a military airport in the western countryside of the Hama in recent weeks.
Turkish teams evaluated the state of the runways, hangars and other infrastructure at the bases, the regional intelligence official said.
The T4 and Palmyra were hit by Israeli strikes on March 21 and 25. Later on April 2, a more extensive aerial attack targeted Hama, with some strikes hitting T4.
Another planned visit to T4 and Palmyra on March 25 was cancelled after the Israeli attack, according to the regional intelligence official and the two Syrian military sources.
The intelligence official, who reviewed photographs of the damage, told Reuters that the strikes “destroyed the runway, tower, hangars and the planes that were grounded. It was a tough message that Israel won’t accept the expanded Turkish presence.”
“T4 is totally unusable now,” the news agency quotes a fourth Syrian source, who is close to Turkey.
Following the latest wave of Israeli strikes, unverified reports said that Turkish engineers were among four killed in Hama military airport.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz called the air strikes a warning that “we will not allow the security of the State of Israel to be harmed.” Foreign Minister Gideon Saar accused Ankara of seeking a “Turkish protectorate” in Syria.
A recent report by the Middle East Eye revealed Turkish plans to deploy air defenses and combat drones at the targeted air bases.
Following the release of Reuters’ report, an Israeli official told Hebrew media that the country was ready for a confrontation with Turkey in Syria.
“We are not looking for conflict with Turkey. And we hope they’re not looking for a fight with us,” the Times of Israel quotes the official as saying. “At the same time, we don’t want Turkey establishing itself on our borders.”
“Establishing military bases, naval and air bases under Turkish protection is something we want to prevent,” he added, stressing that “there are red lines” for Ankara.
While Israel and Turkey could reach an understanding on Syria, a wider confrontation between the two remains very likely. The country’s interim government remains the weakest link, unable to say no to Turkey, which helped put it in power, or fight Israel.
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i hope the aliens bomb israel ahead of their landing…
turkey better adapt their drones and defense systems because they are going to need to reassert themselves lest they be taken for fools, which they are not.
those bastards deserve all they get, i hope the israelis and turks murder each other because they are fighting to control another country syria that doesn’t belong to them.
the fog of war is great . israel will never be happy .
the greater israel project offers stability only through genocide . they will allow slavery , only when the zios will be the benefactor . remember they’re not happy unless your not happy .
the syrians seem to have the choice between ottomans and jews to be their masters.