Israeli minister: ‘Turkey is becoming the new Iran in Syria’

Since the beginning of the Gaza war, Turkey has become increasingly hostile towards Israel.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter told Israel National News that Israel should not place too much trust in the new regime in Syria, where “Turkey is becoming the new Iran.”

Although the Syrian rebels that overthrew the regime of Bashar al-Assad have made several statements about not wanting conflict with Israel, Dichter said their background with terrorist organizations should be regarded with caution.

Dichter said, “The new regime in Syria has left many uncertain about its origins.”

He explained, “Abu Mohammad al-Julani, the current leader, has ties to Al-Qaeda. His spiritual mentor, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, was once a key figure alongside Osama Bin Laden. Given this background, it’s hard to believe that this regime will eventually guide Syria in the way we expect.”

Dichter also cautioned against the growing influence of Turkey in Syria.

“Turkey is increasingly resembling Iran in Syria. While Iran backed Bashar al-Assad, Turkey supports Abu Mohammad al-Julani,” he said.

“As we know, Turkey is no longer the reliable ally it once was. The key difference is that Iran was never part of NATO, whereas Turkey is a member,” Dichter added.

Since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war, Turkey has become increasingly hostile toward Israel. Erdogan has hosted Hamas leaders and threatened to invade Israel to forcibly stop the war in Gaza.

He has repeatedly urged Israel to avoid military actions in Lebanon and Syria. However, Turkey itself seems poised to launch a military operation in Syria aimed at Kurdish groups.

Furthermore, Erdoğan backs the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) terrorist group, which is led by Abu Muhammad al-Julani, who now uses his real name, Ahmed al-Sharaa.

Erdoğan accuses Israel and the IDF of intentionally killing Palestinian civilians in their fight against terrorism.

However, experts argue that Turkey’s military actions in Iraqi Kurdistan, which have directly targeted civilians, violate international humanitarian law and raise serious concerns about genuine human rights abuses.