Defense Minister Israel Katz convened a special security meeting regarding Turkey on Wednesday evening, two Israeli officials told The Jerusalem Post.
The meeting suggests how much importance Israeli officials ascribe to and possibly even fear the possibility that Turkey’s influence in the region will grow following the downfall of the Assad regime in Syria and the rise of Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, which has been backed by Turkey for more than a decade.
The meeting included Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi, and senior officials from the Foreign Ministry and the defense establishment, the sources said. It was organized to discuss the question of Turkish influence in the region and to analyze whether there is any change in the threat level of Turkey toward Israel now that its influence in the region has grown, they said.
Some Israeli officials fear that even though Iran’s influence in Syria has diminished, there will now be a Sunni Turkey-Syria axis that might eventually become a threat to Israel and collaborate with terrorist organizations.
On Tuesday, the Nagel Committee presented its report to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Katz. The report said due to “Turkey’s involvement in Syria, and possibly becoming a patron of the new regime, one must take into account acute friction with Turkey, which has the potential to spill over to other areas.”
Turkey was mentioned more than 10 times in the report, a signal of Israel’s concern about rhetoric by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan against Israel.
Netanyahu-led meeting to follow
Netanyahu is expected to also convene a meeting about Turkey in the coming days, an Israeli official told the Post.