US lobbied Turkey and Israel to hold military deconfliction talks on Syria

The Trump administration has lobbied Turkey and Israel to establish a deconfliction mechanism in Syria to prevent potential accidents, a US official and a regional source told Middle East Eye. 

Tensions between the two countries have escalated since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government in Syria in December. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials have repeatedly voiced concerns over the permanent Turkish military presence beyond northern Syria, calling it a red line - particularly if it grants Ankara control over parts of Syrian airspace. 

Earlier this month, Israel carried out several strikes in Syria, targeting military installations such as the Hama airbase and Tiyas airbase (also known as T4), where Turkey had been planning to deploy.

Read more: US lobbied Turkey and Israel to hold military deconfliction talks on Syria