Turkey has begun efforts to take control of Syria’s Tiyas air base, also known as T4, and is preparing to deploy air defense systems there, the Middle East Eye reported, citing sources familiar with the matter.
Construction plans for the site are also reportedly under way.
Ankara and Damascus have been negotiating a defense pact since December, following the ousting of Bashar al-Assad. The agreement would see Turkey provide air cover and military protection for Syria’s new government, which currently lacks a functioning military.
A source familiar with the matter told Middle East Eye that Turkey has begun moving to take control of the T4 air base, located near Palmyra in central Syria.
“A Hisar-type air defense system will be deployed to T4 to provide air cover for the base,” the source said.
“Once the system is in place, the base will be reconstructed and expanded with necessary facilities. Ankara also plans to deploy surveillance and armed drones, including those with extended strike capabilities.”
Although Turkish officials had previously downplayed the possibility of a military presence in Syria, describing such plans as premature, negotiations have quietly continued, according to the report.
While Israel views a Turkish military presence in Syria as a potential threat, Ankara aims to stabilize the country by leveraging its military capabilities and filling the power vacuum left by the withdrawal of Russia and Iran.
Turkey also intends to intensify its fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a key condition for the United States to consider withdrawing from the region.
The source added that the base would help Turkey establish aerial control across the region and support its efforts to combat ISIL, which still has cells operating in the Syrian desert.
Ankara eventually aims to establish a layered air defense system in and around the base, which would have short, medium and long-range air defense capabilities against a variety of threats, from jets to drones to missiles.
A second source noted that the presence of Turkish air defense systems and drones would likely deter Israel from launching airstrikes in the area.
The Turkish Defense Ministry declined to comment.
The collapse of the Assad government and Turkey’s emergence as a dominant power in Syria have further alarmed Israel, which now sees Ankara as a potentially greater threat in the region than Iran.