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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday accused Israel of using Syria’s Druze population as a pretext for aggression, warning that Türkiye would not allow Syria to be fragmented.
“We did not consent to fragmentation of Syria yesterday, and we will certainly not consent to it today or tomorrow,” Erdogan said after a Cabinet meeting in Ankara.
“Israel has been using Druze as an excuse to move its banditry into neighboring Syria for the past two days,” he said.
The Turkish president warned that those relying on Israel would “sooner or later realize they have made a major miscalculation.”
“Israel is a lawless, rule-breaking, unprincipled, arrogant, spoiled, and bloodthirsty terrorist state,” he said.
Erdogan emphasized the importance of Syria’s stability, saying: “A stable Syria will generate stability for all neighboring countries; otherwise, everyone will bear the burden of this.”
“Those who seek a secure future through oppression and massacres should never forget this: they are merely passersby; we are the innkeepers. We are the ones who truly belong to this land,” Erdogan said.
He added that Türkiye is monitoring developments in Syria closely and maintaining diplomatic communication with counterparts.
Türkiye’s policy, Erdogan said, is to preserve Syria’s territorial integrity, national unity, unitary structure, and multicultural identity.
“Through our honorable foreign policy, peace efforts, and diplomatic engagements, Türkiye stands on the side of peace,” he said. “We bear no ill will toward anyone, nor envy or hostility. We do not infringe on anyone’s rights, laws, or sovereignty; we only want peace.”
Türkiye and 10 Arab countries reaffirmed their support for Syria’s security, sovereignty, and unity in a joint statement published Thursday by the Saudi Foreign Ministry.
The statement, issued by the foreign ministers of Türkiye, Jordan, the UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, and Egypt, rejected all forms of foreign interference in Syria and condemned repeated Israeli attacks..
The ministers welcomed a ceasefire agreement in the southern province of Sweida and called for its full implementation, describing it as essential to preserving Syria’s unity, protecting civilians, and upholding the rule of law and state sovereignty.
They also voiced support for efforts to restore government authority across Sweida and the rest of the country while rejecting violence, sectarianism, incitement, and hate speech.
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On July 13, clashes erupted between Bedouin Arab tribes and Druze armed groups in Sweida. Dozens of soldiers were killed in attacks by Druze forces against Syrian government troops deployed to the area.
After a brief ceasefire was reached, the Israeli military launched airstrikes targeting Syrian security forces.
On July 16, Israeli airstrikes hit the Syrian presidential compound, the General Staff Headquarters, and the Defense Ministry in Damascus. Strikes were also reported in Daraa on the same day, even as a new ceasefire was reestablished in Sweida.
Following the withdrawal of government forces from the province, local estimates suggest that hundreds of people have been killed in clashes and Israeli airstrikes.
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