Israel says it seeks no tension with Turkey but rejects Turkish bases in Syria

AI digestMimile.ai EditorialAugust 23, 2026 at 02:03 AM

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Israel says it seeks no tension with Turkey but rejects Turkish bases in Syria

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Israel does not seek to escalate tensions with Turkey and prefers a diplomatic solution. He stated Israel is determined to maintain the status quo and will not accept the establishment of Turkish bases in Syria. The remarks came after an Israeli strike on Syria's Abu Zuhur air base heightened regional tensions.

Key Facts

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Israel does not intend to escalate tensions with Turkey and prefers a diplomatic solution.
Saar stated Israel is determined to maintain the status quo and will not accept the establishment of Turkish bases in Syria.
The remarks were made on Israel's Channel 12 television program 'Meet the Press'.
Saar's statements followed an Israeli Defense Forces strike on Syria's Abu Zuhur air base.

Israeli Position

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Israel does not seek to escalate tensions with Turkey and prefers a diplomatic solution. Speaking on Israel's Channel 12 television program 'Meet the Press', Saar stated Israel is determined to maintain the status quo. He explicitly said Israel will not accept the establishment of Turkish bases in Syria.

Regional Context

Saar's remarks came after an Israeli Defense Forces strike on Syria's Abu Zuhur air base. The strike heightened tensions between Israel and Turkey in the region.

2 sources

Israel says it seeks no tension with Turkey but rejects Turkish bases in Syria

cumhuriyet.com.tr

Cumhuriyet

sabah.com.tr

Sabah

Perspectives

YouTube

'We beat Iran in the semi-finals, next is Turkey', Israeli host jokes

Middle East Eye

U.S. ambassador responds to rising tensions between Israel, Turkey and Syria

PBS NewsHour

Israel-Turkey Tensions: Netanyahu Says Won't Tolerate Turkish Military Presence In Syria | WION

WION

Politics

Israel opens secret channels with Turkey to prevent Syria clash, official says

A senior Israeli security official said Israel is holding secret talks with Turkey to prevent a military clash after striking the Abu al-Duhur air base in Syria. The official told Israel's public broadcaster KAN that Israel does not want to turn Turkey into an enemy. The statement came as Washington criticized the August 18 strike, saying it was not notified in advance.

Politics

Syria expects Israel security talks to resume soon, foreign minister says

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said on Saturday that Damascus expects negotiations with Israel over a security deal to resume soon, despite a lack of trust and no set date. He urged Israel to seize a 'historic opportunity' and said the door for diplomacy remains open. The talks have been frozen since the start of the Iran war, and contact was cut after Israel bombed a Syrian airbase days ago.

Politics

Israeli ex-security chiefs condemn Netanyahu over eight Syria strikes near Turkish border

Israel carried out eight airstrikes on Syria's Abu Zuhur air base, about 70 km from the Turkish border, on Aug. 18. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the strike sent Ankara a message not to deploy troops there; Türkiye rejected the claim as an attempt to legitimize attacks on Syria's sovereignty. Former Israeli security chiefs including Ehud Barak and Yair Golan called the strike provocative and warned it could drag Israel into war with Türkiye.

Politics

Turkey condemns Israeli foreign ministry's 'lies and slander' against Erdogan

Turkey's Foreign Ministry on Saturday condemned the Israeli Foreign Ministry's statement targeting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, calling it 'lies and slander.' The ministry said the remarks reflect the 'cowardly and rotten mentality' of Israeli government officials led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It added that the international community no longer believes Netanyahu's government.

Israel says it seeks no tension with Turkey but rejects Turkish bases in Syria

Key Facts

Israeli Position

Regional Context

Perspectives

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