Turkey is aiming to potentially set up a military base in Syria's desert city of Palmyra, as tension mounts with Israel over growing involvement in the country since the overthrow of Bashar Al Assad, a senior Syrian military commander has told The National.
“The Palmyra airport will house a Turkish army base. We are pleased with this plan. I am in close contact with the division commander regarding the Turks and their deployment in the area,” said the senior Syrian military commander based in the area, who did not wish to be identified.
He could not provide details of what assets or troop numbers Turkey might send to the Palmyra airbase, which was previously used by Iran-aligned militant groups that backed the former Assad regime and has been hit twice in the past fortnight by Israeli strikes. No timeline is set for a Turkish deployment, but “we know it will be soon,” he said.
Turkey is also planning to send military assets to the T4 military base, about 70km west of Palmyra in Homs province, according to reports.
The commander interviewed by The National confirmed those details, including the possible deployment of a Turkish-produced air defence system known as Hisar and drone technology to the site. “There will be Turkish army bases, in addition to air defence systems. This is true,” the commander explained. Turkey’s Defence Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
If the plans move ahead, the deployments would largely increase Turkish military cover over a large region of central Syria and boost Ankara’s military footing in its southern neighbour, as it seeks to assert its role as a key player in the country’s future.
In addition to pockets of ISIS fighters that could pose a cross-border threat, Nato member Turkey’s most significant concern in Syria is the presence of Kurdish militias linked to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which Turkey, US, EU and others deem a terrorist organisation.
A Turkish air defence system could also deter Israeli strikes, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has justified since the fall of the Assad regime last December on the grounds of eliminating threats posed by weapons stockpiles.
Israel, which has also invaded a UN-patrolled buffer zone in south-western Syria, has grown increasingly critical of Turkey’s involvement in Syria. Mr Netanyahu’s government is uneasy over what it sees as Ankara trying to fill the military and security vacuum left by the former Assad regime and its Iranian-backed allies.
Foreign Minister Gideon Saar on Thursday said Israel is concerned about the "negative role" Turkey is playing in Syria, Lebanon and other regions. "They are doing their utmost to have Syria as a Turkish protectorate. It's clear that is their intention," he told a news conference in Paris.
Israel struck T4 on Wednesday night, causing extensive damage to infrastructure and destroying the “entire stockpile of ammunition” at the site, the military official said. The Israeli military publicly confirmed strikes on Syria, which it said were aimed at "military capabilities that remained."
Two other Syrian officials in Homs province confirmed the Israeli strikes at T4, as well as attacks on an airbase in Hama and another in south-western Deraa province, which reportedly killed at least 13 people.
In response to Israeli criticism of Turkish policy in Syria, the Foreign Ministry in Ankara said the remarks reflected “the aggressive and expansionist policies of the fundamentalist and racist Israeli government.” It attributed Israeli attacks on Syria to a foreign policy approach that, “feeds on conflict”.
Syria’s transitional President Ahmed Al Shara was expected to discuss a joint defence pact with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a visit to Ankara in February, Reuters reported at the time, including the use of Syrian airspace for military purposes and giving Turkey a large role in training new security forces in the country.
In state media reports, Turkish officials have denied that they are building new bases in Syria, saying instead that Ankara’s priority is ensuring sustainable peace and security. Turkish troops are still deployed in pockets of the country’s north-west, where Ankara backed Syrian opposition fighters long before rebels ousted the Assad regime, although Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has said that presence is under review.
The military commander in the Syrian desert would not be drawn into discussing Turkey’s aims in military deployments to central Syria, but said the neighbouring country seeks to “co-operate and protect” the region.
“We will work together against all terrorist cells on the ground,” he affirmed. “Politically, I don't know what their goal is between them and the new Syrian government.”
