Ankara has played a key role in establishing the cease-fire in Syria after Israeli airstrikes targeted the capital, Damascus, as well as Suwayda and Daraa, on the pretext of protecting the Druze community.
In the process, Türkiye has undertaken significant efforts and diplomacy, engaging with several countries as well as Syrian officials.
National Intelligence Organization (MIT) chief Ibrahim Kalın discussed the situation with interlocutors in the U.S., Syria and Israel, security sources said. He was also in close contact with the U.S. Special Representative for Syria Thomas Barrack. The leader of the Druze community was another figure with whom Kalın has negotiated to achieve the cease-fire.
In a televised speech, Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa also said that despite Israeli interventions targeting civilian and public institutions, "state efforts to restore stability and expel outlaw factions have succeeded.” This would not have happened "without the effective intervention of American, Arab and Turkish mediation, which saved the region from an unknown fate," he added.
On the other hand, Defense Ministry officials said on Thursday that Israel's unrestrained actions are destabilizing the region and causing chaos. It must immediately halt aggressive moves that could lead to irreversible consequences.
Turkish forces and personnel on Syrian soil, sent there on anti-terrorist missions along the border, are not facing any setbacks following Israeli airstrikes on Syria, ministry spokesperson Zeki Aktürk told reporters at a briefing in the capital, Ankara.
