Are we watching Turkish President Erdogan take over Northern Syria?

In a daring move to, yet again, reclaim the great strength and influence held by the once powerful Ottoman Empire, that was at its peak in the late 1400s to the mid-1500s, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has designs on the newly fallen Syrian nation which had been under the cruel grip of the Assad family regime for over 60 years.

In the devious plot to expand his rule, Erdogan, who views Northern Syria as an extension of his own country, should not experience too much resistance, given his close ties to Abu Muhammad al-Julani, the present de facto leader of the country, who, along with his Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group, overthrew the brutal Assad.

Already calling the shots, the appointment of new Northern Syrian leaders is being overseen by Turkey, who has its sights on “controlling the oil-rich northeastern part of Syria.”
As challenging as a closer Turkish presence would be to the Jewish homeland, given Erdogan’s antipathy for Israel, the move would also mean a devastating war against the Kurdish population, an ethnicity he despises, who, coincidentally, lives in the very area he hopes to take over.

As U.S. troops, in the region, are expected to leave the moment Donald Trump is sworn in as president, little will stop Erdogan from moving in and making sure his tentacles reach to as much of the country as possible.  The great advantage for Turkey will be the ability to drill, unfettered, for all the oil and gas which they can find in the Mediterranean.  If that occurs, it won’t be long before other Arab countries enter into an alliance, creating a monopoly, putting the rest of the world at a huge disadvantage.

That is the reason that Turkey is already supplying war-torn Syria with much-needed goods and supplies, in an effort to prop it up economically.  Their plan is to provide electricity as well as rebuild the damaged infrastructure which occurred over the last few months.  Another possible change might be switching Syrian currency with the Turkish lira, as well as introducing the Turkish language into Syrian schools.

Millions of Syrian refugees, who escaped to neighboring Turkey, anticipate being reabsorbed back into their homeland, thanks to the Turkish government. Needless to say, one of Turkey’s great ambitions is to set up military bases throughout the country, something which would not bode well for Israel, the country which Erdogan has threatened to invade as recently as this past year. Incensed by our military defense launched against Hamas, Erdogan sided with the terrorists who also share similar genocidal aspirations.

It is this fantasy, of recreating a lost empire, which is fueling all of his ambitions to conquer and control a country which has just been set free from tyranny.  But if al-Juliani forges ahead with Erdogan, yet another despot, who craves absolute power, much, if not all of Syria might not be heading in a direction of freedom, self-governance and human rights. 

Towards that end, Erdogan has wasted no time, as Turkey has already “created a de facto security zone on the northern border with Syria...a zone which functions as an independent Turkish-speaking province with civilian infrastructure like roads and hospitals.”

Such a coup would facilitate his ability to kill a few birds with one stone – at least when it comes to the Kurds and even the Israelis. What better vantage point could he have than moving into the territory which is within striking distance of his two greatest foes?

All of these disturbing developments could easily force Israel to remain much longer in Syria than it had anticipated, because a vulnerable, disadvantaged Syria would be ripe for the picking, minus an Israeli presence.  Despite al-Julani’s claim of not wanting to engage in conflict with Israel, it’s worth nothing that he, and his rebels, “were trained and armed for over a decade by Turkey,” so they would likely end up being the proxy fighters of Erdogan, just as a matter of payback.  Following Iran’s model, why should Turkey get embroiled in a war when someone else is available to do their dirty work for them?

All of the great plans which Erdogan hopes to finance, and bring about for Syria, come with a cost, which he will surely expect in the form of loyalty and complete deference to his blueprint as he endeavors to “transform Syria into a Sunni Islamist stronghold under his patronage.”

No one can even imagine the repercussions all of this could have for Israel, who will now have to carefully and strategically consider the ramifications of an increased effort to take over Syria.  Turkey’s influence on the rebels, who are indebted to them, could become another troubling front in a war which seems to have no end in sight for Israel.

All this comes at a time when many, within the international community, have condemned Israel’s defense of her people, cynically labelling it as an act of genocide, resulting in the ICC (International Criminal Court) putting out an arrest warrant for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and even IDF soldiers, who may be deemed to have played a role in a war they claim involved war crimes. Already, many of the 124 member countries of the ICC have agreed to honor the arrest warrants, should any of those Israeli leaders and soldiers step foot on their soil.

This attempted takeover also coincides with the new incoming American president who has categorically stated that the U.S. should not be involved in foreign wars.  In this case, however, this would not be just any foreign war. The entrance of a hostile tyrant, spitting distance from Israel, aligned with a nuclear Iran, poses a significant threat to the Jewish homeland and should be viewed as a grave warning to the entire region.

Anything that places Israel in peril, will surely affect the U.S. who counts on us to be the one stabilizing, democratic force in the Middle East, with whom they share many interests. Perhaps, it is fortuitous that former governor Mike Huckabee is about to take up his role as Israeli ambassador, given his complete loyalty and protective position which he has expressed for the land he loves – one which is intrinsically connected to his own biblical faith.

In fact, as things stand, it’s looking more and more as if Huckabee might find himself “talking turkey,” with his new boss, much sooner than he ever expected!