Sharaa’s bold outreach to Israel could dismantle Turkish influence in Syria and redraw Middle East alliances.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa is inching toward the Abraham Accords, signaling a seismic shift to escape Turkish control and align with Israel and the Gulf. Ankara is alarmed—and the Middle East power map could be redrawn.
In a move that’s sending geopolitical shockwaves through Ankara, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa is quietly pursuing normalization with Israel—not out of ideology, but out of strategy. The goal? Sever Turkish influence and reclaim independence from the decades-old grip of Ankara’s power brokers.
The emerging pivot toward the Abraham Accords isn’t just symbolic. It’s a calculated play by Sharaa to gain Gulf support, attract post-sanctions investments, and carve out a sovereign path away from Turkey’s shadow. Dr. Hay Eytan Cohen Yanarocak of Tel Aviv University makes it clear: this is about Damascus regaining autonomy, not embracing Zionism.
Turkey, meanwhile, is panicking. From occupying northern Syrian zones to embedding its citizens and intelligence across Syrian institutions, Ankara has built a soft-colonial architecture in Damascus. Its power stretches from airports to ministers—some of whom hold Turkish passports. But if Syria formalizes ties with Israel, Turkey’s whole Syria policy unravels.
And the stakes are bigger than just Syria. Turkey wants to keep Syria, Qatar, and Hamas as part of its anti-Israel axis. A Syrian-Israeli accord would smash that triangle, isolating Turkey and Erdogan’s dreams of Islamic leadership. With Iran humiliated after its nuclear program was bombed and Hezbollah bruised in Lebanon, Turkey quietly enjoyed Israel’s demolition of Tehran’s regional influence. But now, Israel’s influence may come knocking too close to home—in the heart of Syria.
This isn’t just about peace. It’s about power. The Middle East is reshaping itself, and Erdogan knows that if Syria joins the Abraham Accords, he loses a pawn—and Israel gains a frontline friend.
The quiet war for Damascus has begun. And Sharaa’s Israel gamble could ignite the next phase of Turkish-Israeli rivalry—one not fought with rockets, but with red carpets, gas deals, and diplomatic betrayal.
