Al-Sharaa meets Turkish energy minister amid tensions following Israeli strike in Syria

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa received Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar in Damascus on Wednesday, amid heightened tensions following an Israeli strike on a Syrian military facility and growing Israeli concerns over Turkey’s presence in Syria.

According to the Syrian presidency, the meeting at the People’s Palace was also attended by Syrian Energy Minister Mohammed al-Bashir and focused on expanding Syrian-Turkish cooperation and partnership in the energy sector.

The presidency said the talks addressed measures intended to support the development and stability of Syria’s energy sector as economic and political cooperation between Damascus and Ankara continues to expand.

The meeting came shortly after Israel carried out airstrikes on Abu al-Duhur military airbase in the Idlib countryside. The attack was reported to be the first Israeli strike on a Syrian government military facility since March.

According to the Associated Press, a Turkish delegation had visited the airbase hours before the Israeli strike to assess prospects for its rehabilitation.

Israeli officials have expressed concern about a potential Turkish military presence at the facility, arguing that the deployment of Turkish forces there could pose a security threat to Israel.

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