Why Turkey is showing restraint over Israeli strikes on Syria
Why Turkey is showing restraint over Israeli strikes on Syria Submitted by Ragip Soylu on Thu, 08/27/2026 - 12:10 Ankara is counting on possible political change in Israel while using its relationship with Washington to advance its objectives in Syria Turkish cavalry guards waving the Israeli (R) and Turkish flags to welcome the Israeli president to Ankara on 9 March 2022 (Handout Israeli Government Press Office/AFP) Off Turkey is likely to maintain its restraint in responding to Israeli attacks on Syria until after Israel’s general election in October, as Ankara does not want to throw a lifeline to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s struggling election campaign. Although Israeli strikes on the Abu al-Duhur military airbase in northern Syria, approximately 70km from the Turkish border, were seen as provocative, they did not surprise officials in Ankara. Israel claimed that Turkey was preparing to deploy air defence systems at the base.




