US pressure on Israel key to Syria peace, analysts say
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- US Ambassador Tom Barrack proposed a "deconfliction mechanism" between Turkiye, Syria and Israel after a suspected Israeli strike on the Abu al-Duhur airbase near Idlib, calling the attack an "unnecessary escalation."
- Israel's Prime Minister's Office said the strike hit an airbase near Aleppo because Syria was on the verge of permitting Turkish troop deployment there, breaching a security status quo; Turkiye slammed the explanation as an attempt to "legitimise" unlawful airstrikes.
- Turkiye's Directorate of Communications accused Netanyahu of pursuing "expansionist and destabilising policies in the region ahead of the elections in Israel," which are scheduled for October.
- Galip Dalay, a senior research fellow at Chatham House, said "if the US puts proper pressure on Israel, they would listen," citing the Iran ceasefire as precedent, but noted Netanyahu appears to be seeking an escalation after Trump forced Israel to back down in the Iran war.
- Israel has continued occupying Syrian territory in the Golan Heights and Jabal al-Sheikh since December 2024, with Israeli troops reportedly raiding Quneitra in southwestern Syria and abducting two people early Wednesday.
- Samy Akil, a senior adviser with The Syria Report, said "Israeli-Syrian talks are stagnating because the ball is in Israel's court," adding that Syria's Soviet-era air force would not "seriously pose a threat to Israel."
Why it matters: Without US pressure on Netanyahu, the proposed deconfliction mechanism is modeled on the US-Lebanon framework that analysts say has failed to stop Israeli attacks — leaving Syria's new government stuck without stability or a clear path to Western normalization before Israel's October elections.
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