Israel is lobbying the US to weakly and decentralize Syria, including by keeping military bases there to counter the growing Turkey influence within the country, four sources familiar with the effort said.
Turkey’s often fru-strike with Israel has been exposed to severe tensions during the Gaza War, with Israeli officials telling Washington that Syrian new Muslim rulers supported by Ankara pose a threat to Israel, sources reported.
The lobbying points to a coordinated Israeli campaign to influence US policy at a critical time in Syria, as Muslims who drove Bashar al-Assad try to stabilize their fractured condition and lift punishment sanctions on Washington.
Israel communicated its opinion on bringing US staff to the top during a meeting in Washington in February, and later meetings in Israel with representatives from the US Congress, three US sources and others familiar with contact details.
The main point was also distributed to some senior US officials in Israel’s “white paper,” two sources said.
All sources spoke on the condition of anonymity for diplomatic sensitivity.
“The big fear in Israel is that turkeys will come in and protect this new Syrian Muslim order, which will serve as the foundation for Hamas and other extremists,” said Aron Rand, a fellow at the US-based think tank, Century International.
The US State Department and the National Security Council did not provide answers to questions about the story. The Israeli Prime Minister and the Syrian and Turkish foreign ministries did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
It was not clear to what extent President Donald Trump’s administration was considering adopting Israel’s proposal, sources said. He talks little about Syria, leaving uncertainty in both the future of sanctions and the US forces deployed in the northeast.
Lund said Israel could influence our thinking and violently described the new government as pro-Israel. “Syria is barely even on Trump’s radar now. It’s a low priority and there’s a policy blank to fill,” he said.
Israel has publicly declared its distrust of Hayat Taharil al-Sham (HTS), the Muslim faction who defeated Assad and led the campaign that emerged from a group affiliated with al-Qaeda until it cut ties in 2016.
Now, Israel is deeply concerned about Turkey’s role as a close ally of Syria’s new ruler, according to three US sources, explaining the message that Israeli officials have conveyed.