ANKARA, Turkiye — Syria’s interim government has requested Turkiye’s support to strengthen its defence capabilities, Turkish officials said, following sectarian violence over the past two weeks that increased tensions in Syria and drew Israeli intervention.
The defence ministry officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity according to procedures, said Wednesday that Syria has also sought assistance to combat “terrorist organizations,” including the Islamic State group.
Turkiye — which has long expressed readiness to assist Syria — was working toward providing training, advisory services and technical support to help strengthen Syria’s defence capacity, the officials added.
Syrian officials could not be immediately reached for comment.
“As long as our brotherly country, Syria, requests it, Turkiye will continue to stand firmly by its side,” Omer Celik, spokesman for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling party, told reporters when asked to comment on the Syrian request.
“The heroic Turkish armed forces will fulfill this both to assist our Syrian brothers and to prevent instability there, which is vital for Turkiye’s national security,” he said.
Tensions escalated in southern Syria last week, with violent clashes erupting between Bedouin Arab tribes and Druze militias in Sweida province. The conflict triggered Israeli airstrikes on convoys of government forces in Sweida and on the Ministry of Defence headquarters in central Damascus, which Israel justified as efforts to protect Druze communities.
The U.S. envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, announced a U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Syria on July 19.
Ankara strongly supports Syria’s interim government led by President Ahmad al-Sharaa and has been seeking a defence agreement with Damascus that could reportedly include establishing Turkish military bases on Syrian territory.
Turkiye backs the integration of Kurds in the Syrian army
In an interview with the Associated Press earlier this week, Barrack said the U.S. has “no position” on the prospect of a defence pact between Syria and Turkiye.
“It’s not in the U.S.’ business or interest to tell any of the surrounding nations with each other what to do,” he said.
Ankara also backs an agreement reached between the interim Syrian administration and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, to integrate into Syria’s national army. Implementation of the deal has stalled, with a major sticking point being whether the SDF would remain as a cohesive unit in the new army or be dissolved completely.
On Tuesday, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan warned Kurdish and other groups in Syria against exploiting the tensions to pursue autonomy, stating that any attempt to divide Syria would be viewed as a direct threat to Turkiye’s national security and could prompt intervention.
Turkiye considers the SDF as a terrorist organization because of its association with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, which has waged a long-running insurgency in Turkiye.
The Turkish officials said Turkiye expects the SDF to follow through on its commitments under the agreement, adding that Turkiye would be “following” the situation.
The situation in Syria has increased tensions between Turkiye and Israel. In April, Israel struck five cities in Syria, including more than a dozen strikes near a strategic air base in the city of Hama, where Turkiye reportedly has interests in having a military presence. Israel accused Turkiye of trying to build a “protectorate” in Syria.
Suzan Fraser, The Associated Press
