Turkey accuses Israel of destabilizing Syria, demands end to airstrikes

Turkey demands Israel withdraw from Syria and says it must stop harming stabilization efforts there, after Israel stepped up airstrikes in the neighboring country and accused Turkey of trying to turn Syria into a Turkish protectorate.

“Israel has become the greatest threat to regional security” and is a “strategic destabilizer, causing chaos and feeding terrorism,” the foreign ministry in Ankara says.

“Therefore, in order to establish security throughout the region, Israel must first abandon its expansionist policies, withdraw from the territories it occupies, and stop undermining efforts to establish stability in Syria,” it adds.

Earlier today, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar accused Ankara of playing a “negative role” in Syria, saying that “they are doing their utmost to have Syria as a Turkish protectorate. It’s clear that is their intention.”