Baku, Azerbaijan– Israel and Turkey are holding a new round of talks on Thursday in the Azerbaijani capital, Baku, to discuss regional security issues related to Syria, according to Israeli and Turkish sources. The meeting is being mediated by Azerbaijani officials and marks the latest in a series of discreet diplomatic exchanges between the two countries.
Israeli officials are presenting two main concerns during the talks: the potential deployment of hostile military forces near Israel’s northern border and the presence of strategic weaponry in Syria that could pose a long-term threat to Israeli security.
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According to Israeli public broadcaster KAN, the discussions are part of ongoing efforts to establish a military coordination mechanism aimed at preventing unintended confrontations in Syrian territory, similar to the deconfliction channel previously used between Israeli and Russian forces.
Turkish officials have not publicly commented on Israel’s expected demands but continue to express opposition to foreign military interventions in Syria that could undermine its sovereignty or regional stability.
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On April 9th, Turkish and Israeli military delegations met in Baku for technical-level discussions to explore the creation of a “deconfliction mechanism” in Syria. The Turkish Ministry of Defence confirmed that session and said it focused on ways to avoid accidental military engagements between both countries’ forces.
A spokesperson for the Turkish defence ministry emphasized Ankara’s support for Syria’s territorial integrity and called for an end to what it described as “provocative attacks” by Israel that risk destabilizing the region.
