Turkey has been trying in recent weeks to deploy radar systems on Syrian soil, The Jerusalem Post reported on Thursday, citing two Western intelligence sources, in a move the newspaper said could curb Israel’s ability to operate in Syrian airspace and reach targets in Iran.
The report said the radar deployment would allow Turkey to detect Israeli aircraft activity over Syria.
Israel often uses Syrian airspace as a transit route for long-range operations toward Iran and would face more risk if Turkish systems tracked flights.
The Jerusalem Post cited one source as describing a plan to transfer the systems to Syria’s military while Turkish personnel would operate them, giving Ankara control of the information collected.
Turkey has expanded its influence in Syria since the collapse of Bashar Assad’s rule in December 2024 and the rise of President Ahmed al-Sharaa, including closer security coordination with Damascus.
On December 22 Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defense Minister Yaşar Güler and National Intelligence Organization (MİT) chief İbrahim Kalın met with al-Sharaa in Damascus, with talks focused in part on the future of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which Turkey treats as a security threat.
Israel, which has carried out repeated airstrikes in Syria, has publicly warned against steps it says could constrain its operations there. Western intelligence sources previously described Turkey to Israeli media as seeking a role as Syria’s air defense provider, including at the T-4 air base.
The radar report surfaced as Israel and Turkey traded barbs after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met this week with the leaders of Greece and Cyprus and issued a warning aimed at regional rivals he said “fantasize” about restoring empires.
Erdoğan responded at a Justice and Development Party (AKP) meeting in Ankara, rejecting what he called provocations and saying Turkey would not allow its rights to be “usurped” in the eastern Mediterranean. He also accused Israeli leaders of responsibility for the deaths of “more than 70,000 Palestinians.”