Politics

The match between Trump, Netanyahu and Erdogan is played in Syria

Turkey strengthens ties with the new government in Damascus. On Wednesday, the Syrian Foreign Minister, Asaad al Shaibaniwas received by Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara. On this occasion, he also met his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan. “Turkey has maintained its brotherly attitude for 14 years. Relations between Türkiye and Syria will be qualified. Shared diplomatic ties have begun,” he said Shaibanithen adding: “As you know, our relations have been broken down below Assad. We want our relations with neighboring countries to be good. This will strengthen our situation in the region.”

For his part, the sultan guaranteed support for Damascus from a humanitarian point of view and asked for the sanctions in force to be removed. Let’s remember that Fidan and the head of Turkish intelligence, Ibrahim Kalınhad visited Syria a few days after the fall of Bashar al Assad. Furthermore, it is no mystery that the rebel offensive, led by the Islamist organization HTS, was backed and supported mainly by Ankara and Doha. In short, Turkey aims to fully insert Damascus into its orbit of influence. It is with this in mind that he is strengthening relations with the new Syrian regime, also trying to help him on an international level. In particular, the sultan aims for a Syria that is as centralized as possible and one of his main objectives is to strike the Kurds of the Ypg.

This is an overall situation that worries Israel. Despite the fall of Assad has been welcomed very favorably by the Jewish State, the latter does not trust it Mohammed al Jolani and, above all, fears Ankara’s increased influence on the Middle Eastern scene. It is no coincidence that on Wednesday there were sparks between Erdogan and Israel. “The aggressive actions of the forces attacking Syrian territory, especially Israel, must stop as soon as possible,” the sultan said. “Everyone should take their hands off Syria and we, together with our Syrian brothers, will crush the heads of the Islamic State, the YPG and other terrorist organizations in a short time,” he continued. “Israel completely rejects the Turkish president’s statement,” the Israeli Foreign Ministry replied. “The aggressive imperialist actor in Syria (as well as in Northern Cyprus, Libya and other areas of the Middle East) is Turkey itself, and it is advisable for the Turkish president to avoid unnecessary threats. The State of Israel will continue to act to protect its borders from any threat,” he added.

Israel has already bombed the weapons depots of Assad to prevent them from ending up in the never of Jolani. Furthermore, the Jewish state hopes that Syria’s future structure will be decentralized: exactly what Ankara does not want. And make no mistake: Jerusalem is probably not the only one to fear the strengthening of Erdogan in the Middle East. Even in the eyes of Donald Trump the sultan broke the regional balance of power. And this is how the Syrian game could sooner or later intersect with the Iranian one.

The primary objective of Trump And Benjamin Netanyahu is that Tehran does not equip itself with nuclear weapons. Which is why it is possible that, during the first months of the administration, the new American president will put Iran with its back to the wall, restoring the policy of “maximum pressure” and, perhaps, bombing some of its nuclear sites. Once weakened and rendered harmless from an atomic point of view, Trump it could push Tehran to negotiate a new nuclear deal, bringing the Israelis and Saudis to the negotiating table too. Those same Israelis and Saudis who aim, yes, to avoid the hypothesis that the ayatollahs obtain the atomic bomb, but who, at the same time, fear that Muslim Brotherhood, financed by Erdogan and linked to Jolani. Who knows, therefore, sooner or later, Washington, Jerusalem and Riyadh will inaugurate an axis of containment towards Ankara.