Israeli and Turkish officials met in Azerbaijan on Wednesday in a high-level meeting aiming to calm tensions between the two countries’ armed forces in Syria that arose following the ouster of president Bashar al-Assad, according to the Turkish Foreign Ministry.
The ministry said in a statement on Thursday that the first round of technical talks on the establishment of a “deconfliction channel” in Syria between Turkey and Israel took place in Azerbaijan.
The collapse of al-Assad’s regime has left a power vacuum and brought Turkey and Israel into direct proximity as neighboring players in the region.
Turkey’s influence in Syria has worried Israel, which has launched airstrikes and ground incursions to keep Syrian forces away from its border.
The ministry said the talks held on Wednesday were the beginning of the two countries’ efforts to establish a channel to prevent possible conflicts or misunderstandings in the region.
A senior Israeli official confirmed to the Times of Israel that delegations from Turkey and Israel met in Azerbaijan on Wednesday to discuss the deconfliction mechanism in Syria.
During the meeting Israel “made it unequivocally clear that any change in the deployment of foreign forces in Syria, in particular the establishment of Turkish bases in the Palmyra (Tadmor) area, is a red line,” the official said.
The official added that Israel has made clear that preventing any such activity “is the responsibility of the government in Damascus. Any activity that endangers Israel will threaten the rule of [Syrian President Ahmed] al-Sharaa.”
In early April, the Middle East Eye reported that Turkey had begun efforts to take control of Syria’s Tiyas airbase, located near Palmyra in central Syria and also known as T4, and is preparing to deploy air defense systems there.
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.
Aliyev as mediator
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said Wednesday, without referring to the meeting with Turkey and Israel, that his country is making every effort to help defuse tensions between Turkey and Israel in Syria, according to Azerbaijani and Israeli media reports.
Speaking at a policy forum in Baku, Aliyev talked about Azerbaijan’s role as a mediator and expressed hope for the normalization of ties between the two regional powers.
“We hope the process will lead to normalization,” he said. “Despite legitimate concerns and a high level of mistrust, we believe there is still common ground and areas of mutual interest.”
“So the process, to my mind, should not stop, and Azerbaijan is doing everything in its position to facilitate the process,” he added.
Aliyev also talked about the broader impact of the crisis. “Conflicts between allies affect not just those directly involved but also their partners and the region as a whole,” he said. “We support continued normalization and will do all we can to contribute to that goal.”
Tensions between Ankara and Tel Aviv have intensified over the war in Gaza and military developments in Syria. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan confirmed Wednesday that Turkey is holding technical-level talks with Israel over Syria but said there is no movement toward full normalization.
Turkey has suspended all trade with Israel amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza, with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan accusing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of committing “state terror” and “genocide” following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks and Israel’s military response.
Despite Ankara’s sharp rhetoric, energy ties remain intact. The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline — which carries Azerbaijani oil to the Mediterranean via Turkey — continues to supply a significant portion of Israel’s crude oil needs.
Aliyev also revealed that Azerbaijan played a behind-the-scenes role in mediating a previous round of reconciliation between Turkey and Israel in 2022. “In fact, I would say Azerbaijan was the leading force in that process,” he said. “We didn’t seek credit or recognition — only to help two close partners resume dialogue.”
That effort led to diplomatic breakthroughs, including Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s visit to Turkey in 2022 and a meeting between Erdoğan and Netanyahu in September 2023 in New York.
Erdoğan and Aliyev maintain a close alliance, often referring to each other as “brother.” Turkey remains Azerbaijan’s most important diplomatic and military partner on the global stage.