Israeli and Turkish officials met in Azerbaijan on Wednesday in a high-level meeting aiming to ease tensions between the two countries’ armed forces in Syria, following the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad. The Turkish Foreign Ministry confirmed the first round of technical talks on the establishment of a “deconfliction channel” in Syria between Turkey and Israel took place in Azerbaijan.
The collapse of al-Assad’s regime has left a power vacuum, drawing Turkey and Israel closer as neighboring players in the region. Israel has expressed concerns over Turkey’s influence in Syria, and tensions have escalated with Israeli airstrikes and ground incursions aimed at keeping Syrian forces away from its border.
A senior Israeli official confirmed the meeting in Azerbaijan, emphasizing that any change in the deployment of foreign forces in Syria, particularly Turkish military bases near Palmyra, would be unacceptable. Israel’s red line includes preventing any actions that endanger its security.
The talks also featured Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who confirmed Azerbaijan’s role as a mediator in defusing tensions between Turkey and Israel. Aliyev expressed hope for the normalization of ties, despite high levels of mistrust, and reiterated that Azerbaijan is doing all it can to facilitate the process.
Tensions between Ankara and Tel Aviv have been aggravated by the war in Gaza, but diplomatic channels remain open. The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline, which supplies oil to Israel, continues to function despite ongoing political friction.
