Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent a senior military official to Moscow for security talks aimed at countering Turkish influence in Syria, an Israeli news outlet reported on Monday.
Israeli military secretary Maj. Gen. Roman Gofman, who returned from Moscow on Friday, is one of Netanyahu’s closest advisors and has been involved in similar classified missions in recent weeks, according to the report.
The Moscow talks focused on strengthening bilateral ties and ensuring Israel’s security interests in Syria amid concerns over Turkey’s growing influence in the region following the ouster of Bashar al-Assad by an alliance of rebel forces close to Turkey in December.
With relations between Israel and Turkey deteriorating over the war in Gaza, Israeli officials are increasingly wary of Ankara’s role in Syria’s new Islamist government, according to Israeli media.
Israel reportedly favors a continued Russian military presence in Syria over expanded Turkish involvement.
According to Israeli sources, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is expected to host Syria’s new president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, the leader of the jihadist rebel factions that toppled al-Assad. This visit would mark al-Sharaa’s second trip to Turkey, following his previous meeting with President Erdoğan last month.
Their discussions will reportedly focus on establishing Turkish military bases in Syria, training Syria’s restructured armed forces and securing the country’s airspace.
Israel has asked the US to prevent the establishment of three new Turkish military bases in Syria, Israeli newspaper HaYom reported, citing anonymous sources.
According to the Robert Lansing Institute, an independent research organization, Israel is lobbying Washington to limit Turkey’s influence in Syria by promoting decentralization and supporting Russia’s continued military presence. Israeli officials fear a Turkish-backed Islamist government could threaten security along Israel’s northern border.
The strategic relationship between Israel and Russia includes a deconfliction agreement allowing Israeli strikes against Iranian and Hezbollah targets in Syria without Russian interference.
Since Assad’s ouster, Israel has conducted numerous airstrikes on Syrian military installations and deployed forces to a UN-monitored buffer zone inside Syria, according to regional security sources.
Reuters, citing four sources familiar with the matter, reported that Israel is pressuring the US to keep Syria weak and fragmented, in part by permitting Russia to maintain its military bases in the country as a counterbalance to Turkey.
“Israel’s biggest fear is that Turkey will intervene to protect the new Islamist regime in Syria, which would then become a base for Hamas and other militants,” said Aron Lund, a fellow at the US-based Century International research institute.
The extent to which President Donald Trump’s administration is considering adopting Israel’s proposals remains unclear, the sources told Reuters.