Turkish FM discusses developments in Syria with Syrian counterpart, US envoy

ANKARA

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on July 20 discussed developments in Syria in separate phone calls with his Syrian counterpart Asaad Al-Shaibani and Tom Barrack, the U.S. special envoy to Syria.

In the calls, Fidan also discussed with Shaibani and Barrack – who also serves as U.S. ambassador to Türkiye – last week's meetings in Amman, Jordan which addressed the situation in southern Syria, according to Turkish diplomatic sources.

On July 13, clashes broke out between Bedouin Arab tribes and armed Druze groups in Sweida, southern Syria.

Violence escalated and Israeli airstrikes followed, including on Syrian military positions and infrastructure in Damascus. Israel cited the need for protecting Druze communities as a pretext for its attacks.

Most Druze leaders in Syria, however, have publicly rejected any foreign interference and reaffirmed their commitment to a unified Syrian state.

Following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime last December, Israel intensified its air campaign in Syria and declared a buffer zone between the two countries defunct, alongside the 1974 Disengagement Agreement.

Assad, Syria’s leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia in December, ending the Baath Party regime, which had been in power since 1963.

A new transitional administration led by President Ahmad al-Sharaa was formed in January