Mossad Chief Contacts Syrian Foreign Minister, Discusses Turkish Military Presence in Syria
DAMASCUS:The director of Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad, Roman Gofman, spoke by phone to Syrian Foreign Minister Asad Al-Shibani about the growing military force of Turkey in Syria. The top-level meeting reportedly occurred on Aug. 14, days before Israel targeted the military airbase of Abu al-Duhur, in northern Syria. In the course of the discussion, the officials had been talking about Turkey’s military operations in Syria, arms deliveries, provision of drones, and other military projects of strategic importance within the country.
The Israeli Security Concerns and Regional Tensions issued their strong concerns to the new Syrian government about the escalating Turkish military encroaching on Israel’s borders. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would not “allow any presence of the Turkish military in Syria that poses a direct threat to Israel’s security. The latest spats highlight the growing diplomatic and geopolitical tensions between Jerusalem and Ankara regarding Syria’s security arrangements.