Turkey has started training Syrian security personnel under a bilateral agreement signed in August, Middle East Eye (MEE) reported on Tuesday, citing multiple sources familiar with the arrangement.
According to MEE, about 300 Syrians, mostly soldiers but also some police officers, are currently undergoing training at two bases in central and eastern Turkey. One source said Ankara intends to train 5,000 Syrian soldiers and police in the short term, with the number expected to rise to at least 20,000 over the medium to long term.
At the same time, Turkish security forces have begun withdrawing from northern Aleppo, where they have been stationed for nearly eight years as part of the Syria Task Force. The units, largely made up of gendarmes under the Interior Ministry, have started vacating bases in border towns such as Azaz and Jarablus, handing them over to security forces loyal to Syria’s new authorities, MEE reported. Equipment and personnel have been redeployed to Turkey’s Hatay, Gaziantep and Kilis provinces.
The Turkish Defense Ministry said last month that the agreement with Damascus covered training, consultancy and equipment procurement. MEE described it as the first step toward restructuring Syria’s armed forces into a modern military capable of responding to both internal and external threats. Syrian officials formally requested Turkish support in July after Israeli airstrikes hit Damascus and Sweida during clashes between Druze and Bedouin tribes.
Talks are also underway on a broader defense pact that could include Turkish troop deployments to three major Syrian bases, though the current deal does not provide for such deployments, MEE said.
The report comes as Syrian media said Israeli jets struck military sites around Homs and Latakia on Monday night, including an air defense college and ammunition depots. An Israeli security source told Al Arabiya that the strikes targeted warehouses holding Turkish-made missiles and air defense systems.
“Turkey is trying to harass us and drag us into a military confrontation that we do not fear, but do not want,” the source said, adding that Israel has been negotiating with Syria’s new leadership on security arrangements but reserves the right to use force.
Israel has conducted hundreds of strikes in Syria over the years to prevent weapons buildups it views as threatening. The Israeli source stressed that Jerusalem insists on demilitarizing southern Syria and will strike any perceived threat regardless of its origin.