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On December 15, 2024, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan appeared on Al-Arabiya Network (Saudi Arabia) to discuss relations between Syria and Israel following the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime on December 8. Fidan questioned whether Israel had ever directly targeted Syria or if Syria had ever targeted Israel, emphasizing that Israeli military actions had primarily focused on Iran and its militias, with Assad's government largely remaining on the sidelines.
Fidan recalled a meeting between then-Vice President Joe Biden and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, where Biden conveyed that the U.S. did not seek to remove Assad. Fidan noted, however, that it was Israel's interests being represented at the time, as Israel preferred Assad's leadership despite concerns over Iranian influence in Syria.
Looking forward, Fidan expressed confidence that a new government in Syria would not clash with Israel, as long as Israel refrains from crossing Syria's borders and respects its sovereignty. However, he cautioned that "other measures might be considered" if Israel fails to respect Syria's sovereignty. Fidan also suggested that Israel's military actions, including airstrikes, were likely driven by a desire to secure certain regions, but he deemed this behavior "unacceptable." Finally, Fidan asserted that any government representing the will of the people would be seen as a threat by Israel.
Hakan Fidan: "Have you seen any military attack launched from Syria against Israel? Have you seen any military attack against Syria launched from Israel? All the [Israeli] attacks targeted Iran and its militias. Therefore, Al-Assad was only watching from the sidelines the war between Iran and Israel that was unfolded on Syrian soil. Look, six or seven years ago, the opposition in Damascus... At that time, Biden was the [American] Vice President. He came to Turkey, met with the President of the Republic, and said: 'We do not want Al-Assad gone.' We know that this was Israel's view, not Biden's, because Israel did not want Al-Assad gone. Yes, Israel may not have been pleased with Al-Assad's conduct, when he allowed the Iranian presence on Syrian soil, but Israel was pleased with Al-Assad himself.
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"I do not believe that the new government [in Syria] will clash with Israel. It has its own issues to deal with. All Israel should do is to refrain from crossing the border and respect Syrian sovereignty. If it does not act this way, other measures might be considered. I believe that Israel wants to guarantee the security of some areas. Israel may take the worst-case scenarios into consideration, and therefore, it is bombing some areas in Syria. This is unacceptable. It is an attempt to occupy a sovereign country without any justification.
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"Any government that represents the people and their will constitutes a threat to Israel. Al-Assad did not represent the majority of his people, and did not base his legitimacy on his people. Therefore, he tried to base his legitimacy on a foreign power."
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