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Türkiye has begun training and providing consultancy and technical support for Syria’s army under a defense cooperation agreement signed last month, a Turkish Defense Ministry source said Thursday.
Under the military cooperation accord signed between the two countries’ defence ministries in August, Türkiye has said it will provide Syria’s armed forces with military training, weapons and logistical tools.
Ministry sources stated that the Syrian government continues its diligent efforts to restructure and establish stability and security in the country with all its institutions and units.
In this context, the sources stated that the Syrian government has taken into consideration requests to clear the region of terrorism, particularly Daesh, in a way that will directly contribute to the peace and prosperity of the people.
The new Syrian government, established after the ouster of former regime leader Bashar Assad on Dec. 8, 2024, has been working to restore order nationwide.
Ankara, which has developed cordial ties with the new leadership, has repeatedly offered operational and military assistance to Damascus to combat Daesh and other terrorist threats.
Daesh seized large swathes of Syrian and Iraqi territory in the early years of the civil war, declaring a cross-border “caliphate” in 2014 before being territorially defeated in 2019. The terrorist group has since shifted to “studied attacks on strategic targets” in Syria and maintains sleeper cells across northeastern regions.
Türkiye, Syria, Jordan and Iraq have activated the Counter-Daesh Coordination Cell, as announced by Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in July. The joint mechanism aims to eliminate remaining Daesh threats, making it unnecessary for the West to rely on YPG militants in the fight against terrorism.
Ankara considers the YPG as an extension of the PKK terrorist group, which recently announced its dissolution and began a disarmament process that will end 40 years of bloodshed in Türkiye. With support from the U.S. under the guise of fighting Daesh, the terrorist group occupied oil-rich northeastern regions of Syria during the civil war. Under a March deal with the new Syrian government, it’s expected to integrate into the new Syrian national army and hand over occupied territory.
With security and counterterrorism at the forefront, Ankara views its cooperation with Damascus as central to ensuring a stable, sovereign and territorially unified Syria.
“Following the signing of the memorandum, efforts to restructure the Syrian Armed Forces have accelerated,” the sources said. “Training, visits, consultancy and technical support activities are being carried out in a coordinated and planned manner with the Syrian Ministry of Defense. Türkiye is determined to support the principle of ‘One State, One Army.’”
The ministry sources also said that reports of Israel carrying out attacks against Turkish equipment stationed in Syria were false and that there were no changes to Türkiye’s personnel or equipment in northern Syria.
The officials warned that social media disinformation campaigns were fueling false narratives and urged the public to rely only on official statements.
Israeli attack in Qatar
Separately, ministry spokesman Zeki Aktürk urged the international community to act against Israel, warning that unless Israel is stopped, reckless attacks, like in Qatar, will drag the region into disaster.
Israel’s attack in Qatar proves that Tel Aviv has made terrorism a state policy, feeds on conflict, and opposes peace, Aktürk stated.
Türkiye stands “fully with Qatar against this attack, which is a blatant violation of its sovereignty,” he added.
On Tuesday, Israel’s military said it conducted a “precise strike targeting the senior leadership” of the Palestinian group Hamas in the Qatari capital Doha.
The strike has drawn a wave of condemnations, calling the attack a blatant violation of Qatar’s sovereignty and international law.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry also strongly criticized the strike, saying it showed Israel was deliberately undermining cease-fire talks. “The targeting of the Hamas negotiating team while talks continue proves Israel’s aim is not peace but war,” the ministry said in a statement Tuesday.
Türkiye has consistently voiced solidarity with Palestine and Qatar, underscoring that Israel’s aggression represents state terrorism and expansionism, and calling for urgent international action to halt Tel Aviv’s violations of international law.
Ankara and Doha enjoy strong relations, particularly since the 2017 blockade of the Gulf country by Saudi Arabia and others. The two countries have strengthened military and economic ties in recent years.
Türkiye is a prominent supporter of the Palestinian cause and hosted several Hamas members in the past, including late leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed by an Israeli attack in Iran in August 2024.
Qatar has been the main host for negotiations between Hamas and Israel since the new round of conflict began between the Palestinian resistance movement and Israel in 2023. Negotiations, however, yielded little result while Israel’s genocidal attacks claimed more than 64,000 lives in Gaza, mostly women and children.
