By Serdar Dincel and Gizem Nisa Cebi
ISTANBUL (AA) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday that "any attack on the stability of new Syrian government or the integrity of ancient Syrian lands will face both the Syrian people and us."
Türkiye cannot allow Syria to be divided once again, Erdogan told a Justice and Development (AK) Party gathering in the capital Ankara, adding that "we can never allow" the Syrian territory to again become a conflict zone.
Stressing that "it is our belief and prayer" that Syria has reached bright days after 61 years of a "Baathist dictatorship which was literally pitch black for last 13 years" – referring to the civil war – he stated that the people of Syria crowned their recent noble uprising with victory, breaking free from decades of a tyrannical regime and claimed their freedom, rights, law, and the future.
Stating that his country will always stand by Syrians in Türkiye who are on their way back to Syria, Erdogan added that Daesh/ISIS and PKK/PYD terrorists in other parts of Syria will "hopefully" be crushed as soon as possible.
The Israeli military launched airstrikes on at least 250 targets across Syria following the collapse of the Bashar al-Assad regime, Israel’s Army Radio reported Monday.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry on Tuesday condemned Israel for violating the 1974 Disengagement Agreement by advancing into Syrian territory.
Türkiye’s denunciation came amid heightened tensions in the region, with concerns that the move could undermine efforts for lasting peace and stability in war-torn Syria.
- Terrorist PKK/YPG seeks to exploit security vacuum
In the wake of the Assad regime’s collapse, the terrorist PKK/YPG is seeking to exploit the unclear security situation.
In its 40-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US, and EU – has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children, infants, and the elderly.
The YPG is the PKK's offshoot in Syria, an area where for years the group has tried to establish a terrorist corridor along the Turkish border.
In recent years Türkiye has deployed troops and worked with local allies such as the opposition Syrian National Army to prevent this and keep locals safe from terrorist oppression.
- Developments in Syria
Following the Nov. 27 outbreak of clashes between anti-regime groups and Assad regime forces, Bashar Assad and his family fled to Russia on Sunday after anti-regime groups took control of the capital Damascus, marking the collapse of the Baath Party regime, which had been in power in Syria since 1963.