Diplomacy becomes essential national security tool to combat Turkey's growing strength- editorial

An editorial argues that diplomacy has become a critical national security tool for Israel to counter Turkey's growing military influence in Syria, following a Mossad chief's call with the Syrian foreign minister and an Israeli airstrike on an airbase. The piece warns that a Turkish military presence in Syria would create a fundamentally different challenge for Israel, involving the armed forces of a NATO state, and concludes that Israel must combine credible military red lines with relentless diplomacy.

A Jerusalem Post editorial argues that diplomacy has become an essential national security tool for Israel to counter Turkey's growing military strength in Syria. The piece centers on a revealing detail from the week's events: a phone call between Mossad chief Roman Gofman and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani on August 14, discussing Turkey's military role in Syria, including possible troop deployments, weapons sales, and drones. Four days later, Israel struck the Abu al-Duhur airbase, saying Damascus was nearing a breach of an agreed security status quo by allowing Turkish forces to deploy there. The editorial outlines Turkey's trajectory as a strategic adversary: a NATO member with growing influence over Syria's new government, having signed a military cooperation memorandum covering training, consultancy, and weapons systems. It notes that Israel-Turkey relations soured after October 7, 2023, with Erdogan refusing to label Hamas a terrorist organization and halting bilateral trade. The piece warns that a Turkish military presence in Syria would create a fundamentally different challenge for Israel, involving the armed forces of a NATO state. It questions the effectiveness of the US-supervised "joint fusion mechanism" among Israel, Syria, and the US, which failed to prevent the recent strike. The editorial concludes that Israel must combine credible military red lines with relentless diplomacy, arguing that communication with a NATO army on Syrian soil is a matter of national security.