World


Trump’s Next Big Challenge in Middle East:


T BY JOHN ROSSOMANDO


urkey could be the trump administration’s biggest headache in the Middle East, thanks to Israel’s decapita-


tion of Hezbollah and the subsequent collapse of the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria. On one hand, Turkey is a member


of NATO. Yet on the other, its intel- ligence service, the National Intelli- gence Organization (MIT), has been a major supporter of jihadist terrorists. Turkish government defectors and


other Turkish government documents say the MIT trained and equipped ISIS fi ghters in Syria. Turkish intelligence facilitated


the transfer of ISIS foreign fi ghters from Istanbul and bused them into Syria. Former Turkish parliamentary opposition leader Kemal Kiliçdaroglu noted in 2014 about the MIT, “Every- one knows that they’re helping ISIS.” Hamas leaders currently enjoy a


safe haven in Turkey. The collapse of the Assad regime guarantees that Turkey will become an increasing competitor to Israel. Turkey boasts the second-largest army in NATO. Its 355,000 men under arms is more


than double that of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) with its 170,000 soldiers. Turkish President Recep Tayyip


56 NEWSMAX | MARCH 2025


unnecessary threats. “The State of Israel will con-


tinue to act to protect its borders from any threat.” Israel regards its occupation of


its security zone along the Golan Heights border as a temporary measure. Since taking power, HTS has


Turkey NATO ally is major supporter of jihadist terrorists.


Erdoğan has hurled barbs at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Erdoğan chided Israel over its occupa- tion of a buff er zone between the area controlled by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the former al-Qaida affi liate and client of Turkish intelligence that overthrew Assad, and the Golan Heights. This is regardless of the fact Turkey


occupies a large self-proclaimed secu- rity zone across northern Syria. HTS has had a close connection


with the MIT since it was the al-Qaida affi liate known as Jabhat al-Nusra. “The aggressive actions of the forc-


es attacking Syrian territory, Israel, in particular, must come to an end as soon as possible,” Erdoğan told his ruling party, the AKP, in January. “Everyone should take their hands


off Syria and we, along with our Syr- ian brothers, will crush the heads of Islamic State, the YPG, and other ter- rorist organizations in a short time.” Israel’s Foreign Ministry ridiculed


Erdoğan for his remarks. “Israel completely rejects the


Turkish president’s statement,” the Foreign Ministry said. “The aggres- sive imperialist actor in Syria (as well as in Northern Cyprus, Libya, and other areas in the Middle East) is Turkey itself, and it is advisable for the Turkish president to avoid


parroted Turkish talking points about the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) that control north- eastern Syria and is backed by the U.S. The group is made up of a coali-


tion of Kurdish fi ghters belonging to the People’s Protection Units (YPG) and the Women’s Protec- tion Units (YPJ), which Turkey


accuses of being part of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a neo-Marxist separatist group that has been for the creation of an autonomous zone in eastern Turkey. The PKK has been responsible for


suicide bombings and drug traffi cking, and is listed by the U.S. State Depart- ment as a foreign terrorist group. HTS has echoed Turkey in saying


the SDF must be disbanded, and the area under its control subjected to HTS rule from Damascus. A report by the European Union’s intelligence division EU INTCEN noted that Erdoğan’s AKP paid ISIS terrorists to carry out a bombing of PKK activists in Ankara in October 2015 that helped end a truce between the PKK and the Turkish government. Syria’s new government retains


an intimate connection with Turkish intelligence, as documents uncov- ered by Turkish journalist Abdullah Bozkurt, former editor of the Turkish newspaper Today’s Zaman, show. He claims new Syrian intelligence


chief Anas Hassan Khattab is a long- time asset of Turkey’s intelligence service. Iran may be down and out as a


regional adversary; however, Turkey could become an even larger threat due to its place inside the NATO order.


MAP/INGO MENHARD/SHUTTERSTOCK / UGUR YILDIRIM/ DIA IMAGES VIA GETTY IMAGES


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