Israel Tells Syria It Seeks No Escalation but Rejects Turkish Military Entrenchment

Israel told Syria that it does not seek escalation with Damascus or Ankara but will not accept Turkish military entrenchment on Syrian soil. Ambassador Yechiel Leiter said Israel received clear intelligence that Türkiye planned a significant expansion of its military presence in Syria and had shown it to relevant officials. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed future regional developments with senior security and intelligence chiefs Thursday evening, with Syria and tensions with Türkiye at the center. Türkiye denied that a delegation was present at Abu al-Duhur airfield during Israel’s strike three days earlier and said it would continue supporting Syria.