Syria has officially requested military assistance from Turkey to enhance its defense capabilities and combat "terrorism," according to officials from Turkey’s National Defense Ministry.
Speaking during a weekly press briefing, ministry spokesperson Rear Admiral Zeki Aktürk stated, “As the National Defense Ministry, we are working in close cooperation with Syria’s new government. The Syrian administration has made a formal request to Turkey for support in strengthening its defense capacity and combating all terrorist organizations, particularly Daesh," as quoted by the state-run Anadolu Agency (AA).
Aktürk said that Turkey is currently working to provide training, advisory services, and technical assistance in response to this request.
The announcement follows recent clashes in Syria’s southern Suwayda province between Druze militias and Bedouin Arab tribes, which lasted from July 13 to 21 and left over 1,100 people dead according to UN figures. In the ceasefire agreement that followed, the Syrian government agreed to refrain from entering the province, highlighting the military weakness of the Damascus government.
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Israel also intervened in the conflict, citing protection the Druze minority as a reason, and targeted Syrian government positions.
Following the takeover of Damascus in December by armed groups led by Ahmed Sharaa, currently the interim President of Syria, Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes in the country, reportedly destroying Syria’s remaining Baath-era air defense systems, naval equipment, and other advanced military assets.
Unconfirmed reports from international agencies also suggested that Turkey had been preparing to take over the T4 airbase in Palmyra, another Baath-era installation, before Israel rendered it inoperable with an airstrike in April.
Integration of the autonomous administration
Syria’s military weakness has also undermined its position in negotiations with the Kurdish-led autonomous administration in the country’s east. Rear Admiral Aktürk addressed this issue, stating that Turkey expects concrete outcomes from the integration agreement signed in March between the Syrian government and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
“We have repeatedly stated that preserving Syria’s territorial integrity and sovereign rights is essential for both our national and regional stability,” Aktürk said. “In this context, the swift implementation on the ground of the agreements reached on March 10 between the Syrian government and the SDF terrorist organization will contribute to regional stability.
"The SDF must demonstrate in tangible ways that it is honoring its agreement with the Damascus government. Developments in this regard are being closely monitored in coordination with relevant institutions.”
Turkey considers the SDF an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) while the SDF denies this link. The US, which also designates the PKK as a "terrorist group," remains the SDF’s key partner and has cooperated with Kurdish forces in Syria for over a decade.
Recently, the SDF said it's currently impossible to lay down arms in the face of escalating tensions in Syria and ISIS threat, in response to news reports claiming that the US and Turkey had given an ultimatum to the group to disarm within 30 days.
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