Turkey conveys message to Israel

Turkey has communicated its concerns to Israel through intelligence channels amid escalating tensions in southern Syria, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Wednesday.

Fidan said Turkey is working with the United States and Jordan to help restore calm in the region and expects a ceasefire within hours. “We are cooperating closely with our friends in the region and hope for a period of silence and ceasefire in the next three to four hours,” the minister said.

He added that Ankara remains in dialogue with Tom Barak, the U.S. special envoy for Syria, and has passed its proposals to Israel. “Our message is clear: no one’s security can be ensured at the expense of regional instability,” Fidan stated.

Fidan also urged Syria’s new government – internationally recognized since December 8, 2024 – to help stabilize the region and avoid foreign intervention.

Earlier, Israel launched airstrikes on Syria’s General Staff headquarters in Damascus and military sites in the south. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warned that strikes would continue unless Syrian forces withdrew from Sweida, a majority-Druze city. Israel has signaled it would support the Druze population if instability escalates.

Meanwhile, Syria’s transitional interior ministry announced a ceasefire agreement in Sweida. The U.S. State Department urged both Syrian and Israeli forces to de-escalate and withdraw from the region to protect Druze civilians.

The Druze community numbers around 700,000 in Syria, making it the country’s third-largest religious-ethnic minority after Kurds and Alawites.