Report: Mossad chief's conversation with Syrian Foreign Minister focused on Turkey

Mossad Chief Roman Gofman held a phone conversation with Syrian Foreign Minister Assad al-Shaibani last week, in which the two discussed Turkey's military presence in Syria. This was reported this evening (Wednesday) by the Reuters news agency.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the unusual strike in Syria this evening and said:

"We will not tolerate a Turkish military entrenchment in Syria that threatens Israel. We made the message clear: Don't. Apparently, it wasn't heard well enough, so we made sure it was understood better."

According to three sources familiar with the details, the conversation between the Mossad chief and the Syrian Foreign Minister took place on August 14 — four days before Israel struck the Abu al-Duhur airbase in northwestern Syria, near the Turkish border, on the night between Monday and Tuesday. During the conversation, according to Reuters, Gofman and al-Shaibani discussed Turkey's military presence in the country, an issue that has recently become a focal point of tension between Jerusalem and Ankara regarding the future of Syria.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the Democrats Yair Golan harshly criticized Prime Minister Netanyahu this evening, saying that "the strike in Syria is a provocative and dangerous move that brings us closer to a confrontation with Turkey and deepens the rift with our allies, led by the United States. Again, military force is being used for political considerations, and again Israel is paying the price in security." According to Golan, "Netanyahu proves again that he is an extremist and unreliable factor, who cannot be trusted. Israel needs leadership that knows how to use force to achieve security, not to create another war for political survival."

Since the fall of Bashar Assad's regime in December 2024, Turkey has become one of the key allies of the new government in Damascus. Ankara currently assists the administration of President Ahmad al-Sharaa and, among other things, trains and advises Syrian forces. The Turkish Defense Minister said last year that Turkey has more than 20,000 soldiers in Syria and that there is no intention to withdraw them for the time being.

Against the backdrop of fears of direct friction between the two countries, Israel and Turkey held technical talks as early as last year intended to prevent unplanned clashes in the skies over Syria. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan emphasized then that the contacts were intended for "coordination to prevent friction" only.

The tension erupted again this week when Israel struck the Syrian Abu al-Duhur base near Aleppo. According to Syrian state television, eight strikes hit the runway and storage facilities at the base, and no casualties were reported. The Prime Minister's Office stated after the strike that Syria was "on the verge" of violating the security status quo agreed upon with Israel by allowing Turkish forces to deploy at the base. Turkey strongly rejected the claim.

Washington also expressed concern about the event. The US envoy to Syria and US Ambassador to Turkey, Tom Burke, defined the strike as an "unnecessary escalation" and said that the US is working to establish a coordination mechanism between Israel, Syria, and Turkey to reduce the risk that a mistake or misunderstanding will lead to a direct military confrontation.

Alongside the military tension, unprecedented contacts have been taking place in recent months between Israel and the new government in Damascus. In January of this year, Israel and Syria agreed in talks in Paris to establish a communication mechanism that will allow for coordination on security and intelligence issues. Last month, President al-Shara even said that his country is interested in reaching a security agreement with Israel, which he said could later pave the way for a broader peace — although he emphasized that Syria is not giving up its claim to the Golan Heights.