Executive Summary
- Following the collapse of the Assad regime in December 2024, regional powers, including Türkiye and Israel, have become increasingly involved in seeking to shape the post-Assad Syrian state in line with their own regional interests and ambitions.
- Israel’s objectives, shaped by a history of tensions and geopolitical concerns, include keeping the Syrian government weak whilst simultaneously preventing the growth of Turkish regional influence. Israel also seeks to enhance its own security measures, looking to expand its security apparatus in the Golan Heights.
- Türkiye, on the other hand, has been looking to build a working relationship with the new Syrian government. Its objectives are multifaceted, including securing economic gains from post-war reconstruction, managing its large Syrian refugee population, and neutralising Kurdish groups linked to the PKK. Ankara seeks to balance its requirements for the disbanding of Kurdish armed groups with its broader support for Syrian state-building and regional stability.
