Why does Syria matter to Israel and Turkiye?
Two countries hold talks in bid to avoid confrontation in Syria.
Israel and Turkiye have been holding closed-door meetings in Azerbaijan to work out ways to avoid direct conflict in Syria.
Both have a military presence there, and both accuse the other of threatening regional security.
Israel has carried out hundreds of air strikes on Syria since Bashar al-Assad was toppled in December, destroying military infrastructure and hardware.
Turkiye says these attacks and Israel’s expansion into the occupied Golan Heights are further destabilising the country, as the new government tries to rebuild.
For its part, Israel has accused Ankara of trying to turn Syria into a Turkish protectorate.
So, what are the two sides trying to achieve? And can they avoid coming to blows over Syria?
Presenter: James Bays
Guests:
Barin Kayaoglu – Assistant professor at the Institute for Area Studies at the Social Sciences University of Ankara
Joshua Landis – Director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma
Alon Liel – Former director at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Al Jazeera
