20,000 soldiers and advanced weaponry: The Turkish move that worries Israel
Turkey is deepening its grip on Syria through a military presence, building a new army, and investing in infrastructure and energy. Ankara seeks to push out Iran and become the central power in the country.
Turkey is exploiting the fall of the Assad regime and the vacuum created in Syria to establish its position as the most influential military, economic, and political power in the country. A commentary article published in Arab News describes how Ankara is no longer satisfied with securing the common border, but is working to reshape the Syrian army, integrate into the country's reconstruction, and connect it to the economic and regional system under its leadership.
Turkey has a 911-kilometer border with Syria, and therefore views its stability and the preservation of its unity as a direct security interest. A unified Syrian state is supposed, from Ankara's perspective, to reduce dangers along the border and block new refugee movements into its territory. However, Turkish ambitions go far beyond border management.
Ankara sees the reconstruction of Syria as an opportunity to tighten its grip on the new leadership in Damascus, build a new regional axis, and prevent Iran from returning and establishing itself in Syria and Lebanon. The move fits into the ambition of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to expand his country's influence in the Middle East and turn Syria into one of the pillars of Turkish foreign and security policy.
According to the article, Turkey currently maintains more than 20,000 soldiers and security personnel in northwestern Syria. The forces benefit from logistics systems, air cover, advanced equipment, and missile defense systems — an operational presence that no other regional power currently has in the country. In August 2025, the involvement was anchored in a military cooperation agreement between Ankara and Damascus, which includes counter-terrorism, mine clearance, cyber defense, military engineering, and logistics.
Turkish advisors are currently assisting in changing the command structure and combat doctrine of the Syrian army. Military delegations from Turkey meet regularly with representatives of the Ministry of Defense in Damascus, and Ankara has stationed a military attaché in the Syrian capital to oversee the implementation of the plans.
The challenge is immense. The Syrian Ministry of Defense aims to increase the army from about 100,000 soldiers to about 200,000 within five years, while simultaneously integrating about 130 armed organizations and factions into it. The new army is being built almost from scratch, after, according to the article, Israeli strikes carried out following the collapse of the Assad regime destroyed more than 85% of Syria's military assets, including most of the air force, navy, and central defense infrastructure.
Turkey entered this vacuum and is providing training, logistics, surveillance and communication systems, as well as relatively cheap military equipment, including armored vehicles, Bayraktar UAVs, small arms, and short-range rocket systems.
Syrian army at the joint military exercise EFES 2026 (Photo: Syrian News Agency)
Alongside the military dimension, Ankara and Damascus are promoting a strategic partnership in the fields of trade, energy, transport, infrastructure, and investment. The countries plan to reopen customs crossings that were closed during the war years, Turkish banks are preparing to open branches in Syria, and the central banks of the two countries are holding talks to deepen ties.
The goal is to increase annual trade between the countries from $3.7 billion today to five billion within two years, and subsequently to ten billion dollars at the beginning of the next decade. Turkey has also worked to remove American and European sanctions on Syria, with the understanding that the huge investments required for reconstruction will not arrive as long as Western restrictions remain in force.
Ankara is simultaneously seeking to turn Syria into a regional transport and trade corridor. The proposed "Four Seas Project" is intended to connect the Persian Gulf, the Caspian Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Black Sea through Turkey and Syria. Talks with Jordan are dealing with the expansion of railways, connection to ports, and facilitating the movement of trucks throughout the Middle East.
Turkish influence is also prominent in the energy sector. In August 2025, Azerbaijan's state energy company, SOCAR, agreed to supply Syria through Turkey with 1.2 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year. The gas is intended for operating existing power plants, and according to Syrian Energy Minister Muhammad al-Bashir, it could add up to four hours of electricity per day in certain areas.
Turkey also worked to restore the international legitimacy of the new regime in Damascus. After the fall of Assad, Ankara coordinated moves with Saudi Arabia to encourage recognition of the new Syrian government. President Ahmad al-Shara chose Turkey and Saudi Arabia as the destinations for his first official visits, which illustrated their centrality in the transition of power.
The influence is also spreading to the education system. The ministries of education of Turkey and Syria signed an agreement in July 2025 for cooperation in developing curricula, teacher training, vocational education, and the rehabilitation of schools damaged in the war. Another agreement includes the establishment of a joint Turkish-Syrian university, mutual recognition of degrees, and assistance in the return of tens of thousands of Syrians who studied in Turkey.
The picture that emerges is of a Syria in which Turkey is not just a neighbor or an ally, but the central power organizing the reconstruction of the army, the economy, and the institutions. However, its ability to turn the current advantage into long-term strategic control depends on the success of the Syrian army in uniting the armed factions, the continued removal of sanctions, and the willingness of the powers and countries of the region to accept the expansion of Turkish influence.
