Israel and Turkey Coordinating Attacks? Syrian Army Engaged on Two Fronts as Ankara and Tel Aviv Organise Strikes From North and South

As clashes between the Syrian Arab Army and Turkish forces continue to escalate, with Damascus seeking to reclaim Idlib province from Turkish backed Al Qaeda linked militants which Ankara has pledged to prevent this, the Israeli Defence Force has simultaneously escalated attacks on Syrian targets from its southern border. This took the form of intensified Israeli airstrikes primarily targeting the capital Damascus, and more recently on February 27th an incursion by Israel attack helicopters which reportedly took three Syrian casualties. The strike was carried out from the Israeli controlled Golan Heights, and struck assets in Al Qahtaniyah, Al Qunaitra and Al Hurria. Incursions of this nature have been extremely rare, and come as part of a considerable escalation in Israeli attacks which have coincided with Syria’s offensive against Turkish backed jihadists to the north.

Considering the close defence cooperation between Israel and Turkey, and between Israel and the broader NATO alliance, it remains a considerable possibility that Tel Aviv and Ankara have coordinated strikes on two fronts to further stretch Syrian assets and thus undermine its efforts to reclaim Idlib. Both Israel and Turkey maintain illegal military presences on Syrian soil - the former in the Golan heights and the latter in Idlib, and attacks by both parties without provocation have also violated international law. February 27th saw Turkish backed jihadists make their first gains against the Syrian Arab Army, recapturing the strategically located town of Saraqeb which lies on the intersection of the M5 and M4 highways, and also saw direct Turkish fire support to militants escalate. 33 Turkish soldiers were confirmed to have been killed in Syria on that day, and while Russia has denied responsibility it noted that these soldiers were intermingled with jihadist militants and operating on Syrian territory. The incident was far from the first time Turkish soldiers were killed in airstrikes by Syrian or Russian combat jets against militant targets in Idlib.