Turkey Syria Pose a Mortal Threat to Israel

With Syria’s strongman, Ahmed al-Sharaa, announcing his intention to discuss a future defence pact with Turkey. Erdogan has made clear his intention to threaten Israel’s hold on the Golan Heights in a first step towards eliminating the Jewish State. At the same time, blunting the Islamic Republic of Iran’s ambitions for the region. Erdogan vies for leadership with Iran in the Middle East and dreams of making Turkey great again while leaving a lasting legacy for the history books.

To achieve his nationalist ambition, he needs to destroy Israel and counter the threat from Shia Iran. Regarding Israel, Erdogan foresees a military solution while seeking a diplomatic solution with Iran.

For this to happen, Erdogan’s Turkey has to maintain its ties with the strategic West while opting for a non-belligerence pact with the mullahs in Tehran. To achieve its strategic goals, Turkey will find it necessary to court the Trump administration seeking to replace Iran as the security guarantor for the Middle East. It would be no mean feat if he succeeded, as Erdogan does not consider Turkey part of the political or cultural West. This highlights the importance of an Erdogan charm offensive in dealing with President Trump and the U.S. Congress while avoiding offending Islamic interests in the region and beyond.

The threat to Israel is very real and should not be underestimated, as it now faces a resurgent Turkey to its North and a soon-to-be Nuclear-armed Iran from the East. Both these belligerent actors make no secret of their intention to annihilate the Jewish State and need to be countered by any means necessary.