AMMAN/ISTANBUL: Turkey scoped out at least three air bases in Syria where it could deploy forces as part of a planned joint defense pact before the Zionist entity hit the sites with air strikes this week, four people familiar with the matter said. The bombardment signals the risks of a deepening rift between two powerful regional militaries over Syria, where rebels have formed a new government after toppling former leader Bashar Al-Assad in December.

The Zionist entity strikes on the three sites Turkey was assessing, including a heavy barrage on Wednesday night, came despite Ankara’s efforts to reassure Washington that a deeper military presence in Syria was not intended to threaten the Zionist entity.

The Islamists replacing Assad have alarmed the Zionist entity, which is wary of an Islamist presence on its border and has lobbied the United States to curb Turkey’s growing influence in the country. Ankara, a longtime backer of opposition to Assad, is positioning to play a major role in the remade Syria, including with a possible joint defense pact that could see new Turkish bases in central Syria and use of Syria’s airspace. In preparation, Turkish military teams in recent weeks visited the T4 and Palmyra air bases in Syria’s Homs province and the main airport in Hama province, according to a regional intelligence official, two Syrian military sources and another Syrian source familiar with the matter.

The sources spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the visits, which have not been previously reported. Turkish teams evaluated the state of the runways, hangars and other infrastructure at the bases, the regional intelligence official said. Another planned visit to T4 and Palmyra on March 25 was cancelled after the Zionist entity struck both bases just hours beforehand, according to the regional intelligence official and the two Syrian military sources. Strikes at T4 “destroyed the runway, tower, hangars and the planes that were grounded. It was a tough message that (the Zionist entity) won’t accept the expanded Turkish presence,” said the intelligence official, who reviewed photographs of the damage. “T4 is totally unusable now,” said a fourth Syrian source, who is close to Turkey.

When asked about the visits, a Turkish defense ministry official said: “Reports and posts regarding developments in Syria - whether real or alleged - that do not originate from official authorities should not be taken into consideration, as they lack credibility and may be misleading.” A spokesperson for Syria’s defense ministry declined to comment. Turkey’s foreign ministry on Thursday called the Zionist entity “the greatest threat to regional security”. On Friday, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told Reuters Turkey wanted no confrontation with the Zionist entity in Syria.

Heavy strikes

In the four months since Assad was toppled, the Zionist entity has seized ground in southwest Syria, made overtures to the Druze minority, and struck much of the Syrian military’s heavy weapons and equipment. Wednesday’s strikes were some of the most intense yet. Syria’s foreign ministry said the entity struck five separate areas within a 30-minute window, resulting in the near-total destruction of the Hama base and wounding dozens of civilians and soldiers. The entity said it hit the T4 air base and other military capabilities at air bases in Hama and Homs provinces, as well as military infrastructure in the Damascus area.

Zionist Defense Minister Israel Katz called the air strikes a warning that “we will not allow the security of (the Zionist entity) to be harmed”. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar accused Ankara of seeking a “Turkish protectorate” in Syria. Noa Lazimi, a Middle East expert and researcher at the Misgav Institute, said the entity was concerned that Turkey could establish Russian anti-aircraft systems and drones at T4. “The base would enable Turkey to establish air superiority in this area, and this poses a serious concern for (the Zionist entity) because it undermines its operational freedom in the region,” she said.

‘Ideological collision course’

Turkey has tried to reassure the US that it wants to work towards a stable Syria. Foreign Minister Fidan told US officials in Washington last month that Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa would not pose a threat to neighbors, according to a senior regional diplomat close to Turkey and a source in Washington briefed on the meetings. Fidan and other Turkish officials had earlier told Sharaa that Ankara was carefully calibrating its moves towards a defense pact so as not to irk Washington, one of the Syrian military sources said.

“Turkey, not (the Zionist entity), would pay the highest price among regional states were there to be failure or destabilization in Syria, including with refugees and security,” an official in Turkey’s ruling AK Party told Reuters. Soner Cagaptay, director of the Turkish Research Program at the Washington Institute think tank, said Turkey and the Zionist entity were on an “ideological collision course” but could avoid military escalation through mediation with Washington. — Reuters