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Turkish Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus said Wednesday that Israel is concerned about Türkiye’s role in establishing peace and brotherhood in the region, as he stressed Ankara’s efforts to bring together communities fragmented by terrorism and conflict.
“Israel fears only Türkiye,” Kurtulmus told the Afyonkarahisar Civil Society Meeting. “It fears the climate of peace and brotherhood that Türkiye will create in its region, and we must make this happen.”
His remarks came after Israeli warplanes carried out eight airstrikes on Aug. 18, targeting the runway of the Abu al-Duhur Military Airport in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province, damaging its infrastructure.
Israel claimed a Turkish military delegation had recently visited the site, while a Syrian war monitor said the visit was part of efforts to reactivate the base.
Türkiye denied having any military presence at the air base and vowed to continue “resolutely” supporting Syrian sovereignty.
Kurtulmus said the region’s ethnic communities share a common civilizational heritage.
“All the ethnic elements of this region are parts of the same civilization,” he said. “Now, through the issue of a Terror-Free Türkiye and a terror-free region, we are bringing the scattered pieces back together.”
He also described the announcement that the SDF had dissolved itself as significant.
“The statement that the SDF has dissolved itself as an organization is important, historic, and valuable for us,” Kurtulmus said. “God willing, the continuation of this process will follow this statement.”
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Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa met Tuesday with Mazloum Abdi, the ringleader of the disbanded terrorist group YPG, to discuss steps for its integration into state institutions.
Al-Sharaa received “Mazloum Abdi and his accompanying delegation at the People's Palace in Damascus, in the presence of Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani and the governor of Deir ez-Zor Ziad al-Ayesh,” the Syrian presidency said in a statement.
The meeting addressed “a number of issues related to integration within Syrian state institutions and the steps for the next phase in order to strengthen the state's presence and support security and stability,” it added.
Earlier on Tuesday, Abdi announced at a news conference the dissolution of the SDF.
The Syrian administration and the YPG reached an agreement on Jan. 29 that provided for a cease-fire and the group’s gradual integration into state institutions.
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