Turkey is currently viewed by Israel as a “rival and not an enemy,” Israeli security officials said Sunday, while cautioning that Ankara’s status could change as the strategic landscape across the Middle East continues to evolve.

Israeli security assessments indicate that Turkey is working to consolidate a Sunni regional axis that would, among other objectives, take an adversarial position toward Israel.

Israeli officials rejected denials from both Syria and Turkey concerning warnings issued ahead of a recent strike, saying the warnings were disregarded by the parties involved. After extensive evaluation and following recommendations from Israeli intelligence and the Israel Air Force, officials said the decision was ultimately made to conduct the strike as a message while taking measures to avoid casualties. IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir was also involved in pushing for the course of action.

Security officials said Israel’s post-October 7 policy remains focused on detecting emerging threats and neutralizing them as early as possible. That approach is also being applied to developments involving Syria and Turkey, with Israeli security agencies closely tracking the evolving situation to ensure that potential threats do not take shape through alternative channels.

Israel closely watching Lebanon-Syria developments

Israeli security officials said Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa is believed to harbor deep hostility toward Hezbollah and Iran. According to Israeli assessments, he may eventually seek retaliation against both groups for the deaths of Syrian forces during the civil war under former president Bashar Assad, despite publicly adopting a more moderate tone and expressing an interest in peaceful relations.

Officials said Israel is consequently paying close attention to the evolving relationship between Lebanon and Syria. The goal, they explained, is to prevent strategically important areas from deteriorating into lawless spaces that could eventually pose a security threat to Israel.

At the same time, Israeli security officials indicated that Turkey is seeking avenues to approach Israel’s borders not only through Syria but potentially through other routes, including the Gaza Strip.

Israel’s security establishment is monitoring those efforts and working to prevent them from advancing. Some of the activity is being addressed through diplomatic channels, including efforts involving the United States and other allied countries.

Israel-Syria negotiations suspended following military strike

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said Sunday that negotiations with Israel had been suspended following the Israeli strike in Syria, with no date currently established for their resumption. Speaking to Reuters, al-Shaibani said Damascus’ immediate objective is to halt Israeli military strikes and that confidence-building measures would be necessary to move toward that goal.

The Syrian foreign minister also argued that after Assad was ousted in 2024, “Israel tried to maintain its security through brute force and it did not succeed.” He said Washington is seeking to persuade Israel to return to negotiations, adding, “It is very difficult to bet on Israel, but Syria had very high hopes of building stable relations with its neighbors.”

Al-Shaibani further said the two sides had “agreed on paper on almost everything” earlier this year as part of discussions over a potential security arrangement. The proposed framework would establish several security zones inside Syrian territory near Israel, including a buffer area in which only UN personnel would be present, alongside other zones where Syrian forces could operate with different levels of deployment.

However, he maintained that “we have not seen that Israel has the genuine desire to reach an agreement.”

The competing positions underscore the increasingly complicated security environment surrounding Israel, Syria, Lebanon and Turkey. While Israel continues to describe Turkey as a rival rather than a direct enemy, Israeli officials are signaling that changing regional alliances and Ankara’s expanding influence could force a reassessment of that designation.