Behind Israel’s recent illegal incursion into Syria is an apparent attempt to overshadow the revolution in Syria and the Syrian people’s hope, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Monday.
“Even if Israel acts opportunistically, sooner or later it will have to withdraw from lands it occupies,” Erdoğan said in an address to the nation after the last Cabinet meeting of the year in the capital, Ankara.
As Assad was toppled early this month, Israel quickly moved into the Syrian side of a 50-year-old demilitarized buffer zone. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government then approved a plan to double the population in the Israeli-held Golan Heights.
Israel has occupied most of the Golan Heights, a strategic plateau, since 1967 and annexed that area in 1981, a move recognized only by the United States. The occupied Golan is home to around 30,000 Israelis and about 23,000 Druze Arabs, whose presence predates the occupation and most of whom retain Syrian citizenship.
"By spilling more blood, taking more lives, and occupying and invading more land, the only outcome will be greater insecurity and unrest. If there is any statecraft in Israel, the sooner they realize this, the better it will be," Erdoğan said.
On the Syria crisis, Erdoğan said his country has “stood on the right side of history since the very beginning of the Syrian crisis in 2011.”
The Syrian revolution has refocused global attention on the country, said Erdoğan, adding that as its "neighbor and brother" Türkiye is best suited to grasp its new phase.
Stressing Türkiye's unwavering support for protecting Syria's territorial integrity and unitary structure, Erdoğan said: "We will never back down on this."
Stressing the importance of a stable Syria, Erdoğan said that if Syria finds peace, everyone in the region will be safer.
In the same vein, Erdoğan said the PKK/YPG terrorists in Syria will “either dissolve themselves or ultimately be destroyed as there is no place for terrorism in Syria.”
"A brand new era has begun in Syria. As the neighbor and brother of Syria, we are the country that had the best analysis of the process," Erdoğan said, adding that Türkiye has stood on the right side of history. He continued by saying that Ankara is in close dialogue with the new Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, as he highlighted the importance of Syria's stability:
"The stability of Syria is a source of security for the region as a whole. All neighbors should know this," he said.
He noted that Türkiye is determined to continue its counterterrorism operations in Syria with precision, preventing any harm to civilians.
Türkiye regards the YPG as an extension of the PKK, which fought the Turkish state in a four-decade terror campaign and is classified as a terrorist group by Ankara, Washington and the European Union.
In recent years, Türkiye has deployed troops and worked with local allies such as the opposition Syrian National Army (SNA) to prevent the YPG advance in the region and keep locals safe from terrorist oppression.
The SNA currently has the group cornered in northern Syria after taking back Tal Rifaat and Manbij, two key strongholds, from the PKK/YPG earlier this month, while anti-regime forces led their lightning offensive against Bashar Assad earlier this month.
Erdoğan said that Ankara is determined to continue its counterterrorism operations in Syria with "surgical precision, ensuring no harm comes to civilians."
"I can confidently say this: Time is running out for the PKK and its affiliates, the noose is tightening, and the end of the road is in sight. No matter whose coattails they cling to, no matter whose trigger they pull, no matter which foreign agenda they embrace, they should know very well that they cannot escape the painful fate that awaits them," he added.
"We will undoubtedly remove these gangs of killers, who oppress our Kurdish brothers, abduct their children and send them to their deaths, and deny anyone other than themselves the right to life and a voice, from being a source of threat to our region," he further added.
Erdoğan said that Turks, Arabs and Kurds will come together for "a great embrace, after completely breaking down the walls of terrorism."
Türkiye will establish an environment where peace, stability, prosperity, and development prevail throughout our region, one that is "not defined by conflicts but by brotherhood," he added.
Erdoğan said Türkiye has been working on a particularly intense agenda, especially in foreign policy, since the last Cabinet meeting.
Pointing to the Dec. 11 meeting between Somali President Sheikh Mohamud and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed hosted by Türkiye, Erdoğan said: "We have now crossed another critical threshold in the Ankara process, which was launched eight months ago to resolve issues between the two friendly countries."
He underlined that the Horn of Africa region has long been associated with tensions, hunger, terrorist attacks, and the "divide and rule" policies of imperialist powers.
"We are well aware that these insidious scenarios are still in play. We believe the historic step taken with the Ankara Declaration will contribute to the establishment of lasting peace, tranquility, and stability in the Horn of Africa," Erdoğan said.
On the recent visit to Türkiye of Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim, Erdoğan said they discussed a wide range of issues, particularly the current situation in Syria.
On Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati's visit to Türkiye, which followed Israeli attacks on Lebanon, Erdoğan said that it was "extremely valuable" for Türkiye.
"Prime Minister Mikati is carrying a heavy burden with great dignity during one of the most difficult periods in his country's history. I am fully confident that, with his resilient and farsighted leadership, Lebanon will reach safety. During this process, we will not betray the trust placed in our country or in me personally, and we will stand by Lebanon with all our resources," he added.
