FM Fidan: Türkiye to view any attempt at dividing, destabilizing Syria as direct threat, will intervene

If the groups in Syria move toward division and destabilization, Türkiye will consider it a direct threat to its national security and will intervene, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Tuesday.

"Israel pursues a policy aimed at weakening its region and keeping it in chaos," Fidan said at a joint news conference with his Salvadoran counterpart Alexandra Hill in the capital Ankara.

Fidan added that Israel, which does not want to see a stable country in its region, aims to divide Syria.

On July 13, clashes broke out between Bedouin Arab tribes and armed Druze groups in the city of Suwayda. Violence escalated, and Israeli airstrikes followed, including on Syrian military positions and infrastructure in Damascus.

Israel cited the "protection of Druze communities" as a pretext for its attacks.

Most Druze leaders in Syria, however, have publicly rejected any foreign interference and reaffirmed their commitment to a unified Syrian state.

In response to the escalating violence, the Syrian government announced four ceasefire deals in Suwayda, the latest of which was brokered on Saturday.

The new Syrian government has been working to reestablish order nationwide since the ouster of former President Bashar Assad on Dec. 8, 2024.