Trending 
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar has accused Türkiye of hypocrisy over its criticism of Israel’s military activities in Syria, saying Ankara has repeatedly violated Syrian sovereignty while seeking to undermine Israel’s security.
In a post on X on Thursday, Sa’ar responded to remarks by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, who had accused Israel of destabilising Syria.
“Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan accuses Israel of destabilizing Syria for taking the minimum measures necessary to protect Israeli citizens from attacks,” Sa’ar wrote.
“These are the same Turkish leaders who have spent decades violating the sovereignty of Syria while cynically lecturing others on international law.”
Sa’ar alleged that Türkiye currently occupies parts of Syria and intends to deepen its military footprint there.
“Turkey occupies five percent of Syria, and intends to establish military bases inside Syria to undermine Israel’s security,” he said.
Defending Israel’s own military presence in southern Syria, Sa’ar argued that it was limited in scope and necessary to protect Israeli communities from armed groups.
“In comparison, Israel holds a buffer zone that comprises just one-tenth of one percent of Syrian territory, in order to protect itself from the terrorist groups seeking to attack Israel from southern Syria, after Syrian militants violated the 1974 Israel-Syria Separation of Forces Agreement and entered the buffer zone in December 2024.”
The Israeli foreign minister also criticised Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, accusing his government of military interventions beyond Türkiye’s borders.
“Under President Erdoğan, Turkey has carried out extensive military campaigns against Kurdish forces across Syria and Iraq, repeatedly threatened neighboring states, maintained its occupation of 36 percent of Cyprus for more than half a century, and drawn widespread international criticism for its human rights record.”
Credit: BBC
Sa’ar rejected Türkiye’s calls for Israel to halt its military operations in Syria, insisting that Israel would continue to act against perceived security threats.
“What Minister Fidan wants is for Israel to stop protecting itself from threats to its security. This will not happen.
“Israel will continue to take all measures necessary to defend its citizens against any threat.”
Relations between Israel and Türkiye have deteriorated sharply since the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023, with Ankara becoming one of Israel’s most vocal critics.
Turkish officials have repeatedly condemned Israel’s military operations in Gaza and, more recently, its actions in Syria, accusing it of undermining regional stability.
Tensions over Syria have intensified since late 2024, when Israel expanded its military presence in parts of the demilitarised buffer zone established under the 1974 Israel-Syria Disengagement Agreement following the collapse of Syrian government control in some southern border areas.
Israel has argued that the deployment is a temporary security measure aimed at preventing armed groups from operating near its frontier.
Türkiye, meanwhile, maintains military forces in northern Syria, where it has conducted several cross-border operations against Kurdish armed groups that Ankara considers terrorist organisations.
The Turkish government says those operations are necessary to protect its national security, while critics argue they amount to a prolonged military occupation of Syrian territory.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan accuses Israel of destabilizing Syria for taking the minimum measures necessary to protect Israeli citizens from attacks. These are the same Turkish leaders who have spent decades violating the sovereignty of Syria while cynically lecturing others on…
— Gideon Sa’ar | גדעון סער (@gidonsaar) August 6, 2026
