Israel recently sought U.S. approval to carry out another strike in Syria, but President Trump blocked the move, as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan works to significantly expand his influence in the country, Channel 13 reported.
In recent weeks, Erdogan has been seeking to consolidate his control in Syria with the consent of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and President Trump. Against that backdrop, Israel approached the United States seeking to strike in Syria once again. Unlike on previous occasions, however, President Trump stopped the attack from going forward.
Channel 13 characterized the episode as another deterioration in Israel’s relationship with the United States and another indication of the strengthening relationship between President Trump and Erdogan, who are described as having a close relationship.
The development comes as Turkey’s regional position is expanding further. Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan signed a trilateral defense alliance in Mecca this week aimed at strengthening deterrence and regional security. The agreement, signed amid tensions with Iran, includes a provision declaring that an armed attack against any one of the three countries will be considered an attack against all of them — a clause that could potentially expose Israel to three additional fronts.
On Saturday, roughly a day after the agreement was signed, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Egypt could join the defense alliance once “several technical issues” are resolved. In an interview with Turkey’s Anadolu news agency, Fidan said the new alliance will establish a ministerial committee modeled on NATO’s structure, along with a general secretariat headquartered in Riyadh.
The Turkish announcement also comes amid an Iranian warning that the alliance will not succeed in protecting Riyadh. Mahmoud Nabavian, a member of the Iranian parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, wrote on X: “Saudi rulers must know that just as America’s bases could not bring them security, clinging to America’s servants will not bring them security either.”
At the same time, tensions between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis are escalating, with the Yemeni military announcing that it has launched a broad operation against Saudi backed forces primarily in the area of the capital, Sanaa.
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
