A senior Israeli official has spoken harshly to Newsweek about Syrian Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as US President Donald Trump disclosed a policy shift supported by the two men during his visit to Saudi Arabia. Trump said on Tuesday, during his first international tour of his second term, that he will relax sanctions against Syria after consulting with Erdogan and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The move was designed to bolster the new administration formed by Sharaa, a former Islamist militant chief known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani, who commanded the insurgent alliance that deposed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad last December.

The US president then met with Sharaa on Wednesday, hailing him as a “young, attractive guy—tough guy” with a “real shot at pulling it together” in Syria. It is the latest example of Sharaa’s enthusiastic reception on the international stage, following his recent visits to Bahrain, France, the United Arab Emirates, and Turkey. However, some, including a close US ally, have expressed suspicion over Sharaa. Following the overthrow of Assad, Israel increased military operations in Syria, capturing land beyond the previously occupied Golan Heights and executing waves of strikes, while charging Sharaa of crimes against the country’s Druze minority, who also has a presence in Israel.

On the eve of Trump’s meeting with Sharaa, Israeli Consul General in New York Ofir Akunis told Newsweek, “We are protecting the Druze community in Syria because they are brothers of the Druze community in Israel, and they are our brothers.” “And, as you know, we are still in the Syrian Hermon, watching Damascus from the mountain there,” Akunis told reporters. “Why? Because we want to be certain that he is no longer a terrorist, as he claims. But when he sends his terrorists to kill the Druze, we know he is the old one.”

Akunis stated that Israel will be watching to see how Trump dealt with Sharaa, calling the world welcome of the new Syrian leader “very risky.”

U.S. allies are at odds. Turkey has sharply condemned Israel’s actions in Syria, where it helped a number of the rebel forces involved in the fight to depose Assad, particularly the Syrian National Army. Erdogan has already engaged in a verbal war with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the latter’s protracted conflict with the Palestinian Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip, with the Turkish leader threatening direct military action last July.

That same month, Erdogan warned Newsweek that the crisis has expanded to Lebanon, Syria, and numerous other countries, posing a “greater risk of deeper conflicts and even war” in the area. In November, Erdogan said that he will terminate all ties with Israel. Their enmity grew further the following month, when the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) increased operations in Syria in the aftermath of Sharaa’s victory, which Trump attributed to Turkey. Netanyahu remarked alongside Trump on his most recent visit to the United States last month that “we don’t want to see Syria being used by anyone, including Turkey, as a That same month, Erdogan warned Newsweek that the crisis has expanded to Lebanon, Syria, and numerous other countries, posing a “greater risk of deeper conflicts and even war” in the area. In November, Erdogan said that he will terminate all ties with Israel. Their enmity grew further the following month, when the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) increased operations in Syria in the aftermath of Sharaa’s victory, which Trump attributed to Turkey. Netanyahu remarked alongside Trump on his most recent visit to the United States last month that “we don’t want to see Syria being used by anyone, including Turkey, as a base for an attack on Israel.”

Weeks later, during an Eid al-Fitr address in Istanbul, Erdogan stated that Turkey would “take measures accordingly” in reaction to developments in Syria, making a veiled allusion to Israel. “We are aware of those seeking to perpetuate the instability along our southern borders by undermining the steps taken within the framework of Syria’s territorial integrity and national unity, and will, God willing, prevent them all,” Erdogan said the audience. The rising tensions have spurred former officials on both sides to warn of a direct collision between the two US partners.

Akunis acknowledged the risk was serious, but echoed Netanyahu’s assertion that Israel would not back down from Erdogan. “With all respect, this is not his territory,” Akunis stated. “The Turkish President should remain there. Syria isn’t his territory. Syria is something else. He cannot be present. We’re paying close attention.” Akunis urged “the Western world” to stand up to Erdogan, telling him to “stop it” and “enough” of the Turkish leader’s plans in Syria and threats, including what the Israeli envoy described as “very nasty words about Jews and the State of Israel

“I don’t want to be disrespectful, but this is unacceptable. “He must stop it,” Akunis remarked. “You know he likes the crowds, and the public adore his harsh remarks about Israel. We have nothing against Turkey, as I have with Iran. We have nothing against anyone, except he intends to kill us. “So we must defend ourselves.” Newsweek has reached out to the Turkish Embassy in the United States and the Syrian Information Ministry for comment.

Officials on both sides, notably Akunis and White House National Security Council spokesperson James Hewitt, have downplayed the extent of Trump and Netanyahu’s disagreement. “Israel has had no better friend in its history than President Trump,” Hewitt told Newsweek. “We continue to work closely with our ally Israel to ensure remaining hostages in Gaza are freed, Iran never obtains a nuclear weapon, and to strengthen regional security in the Middle East.” “As he has repeatedly stated in his first and second terms, the president is committed to ensuring Iran never obtains a nuclear weapon,” Hewitt told reporters.

However, in recent weeks, Trump has taken unilateral action on a number of major Middle Eastern matters. These include opening direct talks with Hamas to secure the release of US-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander, securing a cease-fire with Yemen’s Ansar Allah movement, also known as the Houthis, that did not address the group’s attacks on Israel, and moving forward with nuclear negotiations with Iran despite Netanyahu’s reservations. Dissonance between the two world leaders is also noticeable in Syria and Turkey. During his April visit to the White House, Netanyahu criticized Turkey’s role in Syria, while Trump lauded Erdogan’s direct role in toppling Assad and clearing the way for Sharaa to take power.

Trump even volunteered to arbitrate personally between Erdogan and Netanyahu, often known by his nickname, “Bibi.” “I said, just, Bibi, if you have a problem with Turkey, I really think I’m going to be able to work it out,” Trump said at the time. “I have a really excellent connection with Turkey and its leader. And I believe we will be able to figure it out. So, hopefully, that won’t be an issue. I don’t believe it will be an issue.” Trump then doubled down on his pledge, stating, “Any problem you have with Turkey, I believe I can fix. I mean, as long as you are sensible. You need to be sensible. We need to be realistic.

During Trump’s Middle East trip, which did not include a visit to Israel, Erdogan attended a virtual summit with the US president, Sharaa, and Crown Prince Mohammed. According to a readout from Erdogan’s office, he stated that Turkey, officially known as Türkiye, “wants Syria and strives to make it a stable country that works with regional countries, poses no threat to its neighbors, and produces prosperity.” He also promised to assist Sharaa in combating militant groups such as the Islamic State (ISIS).

“Pointing out that U.S. President Trump’s decision to lift the sanctions against Syria is of historic importance,” stated the transcript. “President Erdoğan voiced his belief that this decision will set an example to other countries that impose sanctions, and added that opportunities for investment will, thus, emerge in Syria in various areas.” Erdogan reaffirmed his plea “to end the humanitarian tragedy in Gaza” and offered his assistance in arranging a cease-fire between Russia and Ukraine. As Trump seeks to settle the crisis, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has asked for direct negotiations between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Istanbul.

The Situation in Syria Assad’s unexpected defeat in the face of an 11-day attack headed by Sharaa was a watershed moment in Syria’s civil conflict, which has been raging since 2011. The United States, which today supports the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), had largely abandoned the resistance as it became dominated by more extremist Islamist forces, such as Al-Qaeda and ISIS. Sharaa was instrumental in this transition, forming the Nusra Front as Al-Qaeda’s branch in Syria in early 2012. He made an early collaboration with Iraq’s Al-Qaeda head, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, but the connection dissolved when Baghdadi attempted to merge the Nusra Front into what would become known as ISIS.

While separate offensives by the SDF, aided by the US, and Assad’s regime, backed by Russia and Iran, eventually destroyed rebel and jihadi forces across the country, Sharaa cemented authority in the northwestern province of Idlib, which borders Turkey. Baghdadi was murdered during a US raid in October 2019. By then, Sharaa had distanced himself from global jihadist goals, renaming his group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in 2017. HTS, widely regarded as the most formidable of a wide range of insurgent factions fighting in northern Syria, resisted repeated attacks by the Syrian military before finally turning the tide last December

Sharaa has promised to lead Syria toward more inclusivity and unity since taking office. However, the promise has been shattered by ongoing sectarian violence, particularly between forces loyal to the new government, which are primarily Sunni Muslim Arabs with a few foreign fighters, and minority communities such as Kurds, Druze, and Alawites, the sect to which the Assad family belonged. As the Trump administration warned Sharaa’s temporary administration about claims of killings against minority groups, US officials reached an agreement under which the SDF would be included into the new government. The agreement came as Turkey declared a cease-fire with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a separatist group linked to the SDF

In an even more momentous turn of events, the PKK announced Monday that it will disband entirely, handing Erdogan another huge victory in Syria. Earlier this month, Druze militias negotiated a pact with Damascus to prevent more bloodshed, although tensions remain high on multiple fronts in Syria’s ongoing conflict. Sharaa’s administration voiced confidence in Trump’s decision to lift sanctions. “This development marks a pivotal turning point for the Syrian people as we seek to emerge from a long and painful chapter of war,” the Syrian Foreign Ministry stated in response to Trump’s decision on Tuesday. “The lifting of these sanctions provides a critical chance for Syria to seek peace, self-sufficiency, and real national reconstruction, headed by and meaningful national reconstruction, led by and for the Syrian people.”