Turkey and Syria quietly deepen their military and intelligence cooperation
Syria and Turkey held meetings earlier this month, during which the two countries signed an agreement for Turkey to modernize the Syrian military. More notably, according to a former Free Syrian Army (FSA) officer who spoke on condition of anonymity, the talks focused heavily on creating a new Interior Ministry “information branch” intended to channel intelligence from Syria to Turkey.
According to a report by the Media Line, “Turkey is not only upgrading Syria’s military capacity – it is also embedding intelligence structures in Quneitra and As-Suwayda [in the south], areas where Washington has been attempting to broker a humanitarian corridor from Israel.”
According to the anonymous source, the main tasks, at least for now, of the new “information branch” would be to collect and analyze information on “cross-border activities, dissident networks, and potential Israeli or US operations” in the south.
“This is about more than cooperation,” the former FSA officer explained. “It is Turkey planting a permanent flag inside Syria’s security services.”
The agreement gives Turkey influence over Syria’s military and intelligence institutions, particularly in the south, home to Syria’s Druze minority. Turkey appears intent on expanding its presence in the region: the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reports that Syria’s Ministry of Defense has recruited roughly 200 young men from villages in Quneitra Governorate and sent them to Turkey for military training. According to The Media Line, “Analysts see this as another indication that Ankara is not only advising Damascus but also reshaping its manpower on the ground.”
According to one analyst, Malik al-Abdeh, managing director of Conflict Mediation Solutions and editor of the policy newsletter Syria in Transition, Turkey wants to prevent regional ethnic autonomy for the Druze and Kurds by infiltrating Syrian institutions – including intelligence – and by making sure that Syria’s ruler is able to confront any demands for both Kurdish autonomy in the northeast of Syria and for the Druze in the south.
“The message from Ankara is simple: A strong centralized state in Damascus, backed by Turkey and Russia, is the only way to hold the country together,” al-Abdeh wrote.
Israel, for its part, views any Turkish military involvement in the south as a threat and supports Kurdish and Druze demands for autonomy. In line with this stance, Israel has conducted dozens of airstrikes targeting Syrian government forces to support the Druze.
“It’s not only the savagery of Hamas and the Iranian terror axis. In Syria just a few weeks ago, we stopped the savage massacre of Druze, a non-Islamic sect,” Netanyahu said at a U.S. Independence Day reception hosted by Newsmax.
The U.S., on the other hand, has sought to maintain good relations with both Turkey and Israel, while seeking to reassure Turkey that Kurdish autonomy is not in the cards.
A Syrian analyst, Elias Abu Jrab said that Turkey’s involvement in Syria strengthens the country against Israel.
“The agreement strengthens our air force against Israel’s raids. Turkey’s strategic goals serve a united state. The Gulf supports this vision too,” Jrab said.
The U.S. is currently working on negotiating an agreement between Israel and Syria to allow the transfer of humanitarian aid to Syria’s Druze community in the southern Suwayda province.
The move is intended to repair relations between Israel and Syria while providing aid to the Druze, following the massacre of hundreds of civilians by Bedouin tribes and government-affiliated jihadist forces.
The proposed corridor would run from the Israeli border to the “Druze Mountain,” the mountainous region surrounding the city of Suwayda, which has struggled to receive aid due to ongoing tensions and roadblocks.
This article originally appeared on ALL ARAB NEWS and is reposted with permission.
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