A joke currently doing the rounds in Turkey is that it’s about to become “neighbors” with Israel due to the turmoil in Syria.
While that’s an obvious exaggeration, a blurring of Syria’s borders with Israel to the southwest and Turkey to the north is already underway, as the two nations seek to shore up their interests in the region.
Turkey quickly emerged as a clear winner following the toppling of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad by Islamist-led rebels two weeks ago.
US President-elect Donald Trump called the country a key player in shaping a post-Assad nation and footage of a warm embrace between the Turkish foreign minister and Syria’s new leader when they met yesterday was the latest evidence of its influence.
Turkey has security concerns in northern Syria over the presence of US-backed Kurdish forces, which it says are militants with links to the outlawed PKK.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s ultimate aim is to create a buffer zone along the entire 900-kilometer (560-mile) Syria-Turkey border, though that looks ambitious.
Israel appears equally keen to seize the moment. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is wary of a new threat after more than a year battling Iran-backed groups Hamas and Hezbollah, and wasted little time carrying out air strikes on Syrian military facilities.
Israel has also extended its control over the strategic Golan Heights and wants to expand settlements there. The area offers fertile land and is an important source of water.
The government in Ankara perhaps has the strongest incentive to secure influence over how Syria is eventually run.
Turkey hosts more than 3 million refugees from its southern neighbor — a legacy of a more than 13-year war — while Turkish companies would be at the front of the line to benefit from postwar reconstruction. — Beril Akman