On Thursday, 10 April, diplomats from Türkiye and Israel met in Azerbaijan to discuss each others' involvement in Syria in an effort to reduce the risk of conflict.
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Israeli officials reiterated to Turkish officials that the building of Turkish bases in the Palmyra area of Syria would constitute a red line for Israel. Last week, Turkish forces had inspected air bases in near Palmyra for potential Turkish use, but Israel has since bombed those bases.
Israel's foreign minister, Gideon Sa’ar, said that Syria was in danger of becoming a Turkish protectorate, and both sides have taken to accusing the other of trying to start a proxy war in the region. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Türkiye's president, is a supporter of Hamas and Israel fears that Hamas may start using Syria as a base of operations if Türkiye's influence in the country increases. Türkiye, for its part, worries that Israel is using the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Kurdish groups to undermine Turkish influence in Syria, with Sa'ar saying last year that Israel and the Kurds were "natural allies."Both countries hope that the creation of back channels will help to prevent a war breaking out over misunderstandings in the region.