Israeli opinion article says Turkey's Nato protection does not apply to troops in Syria

Israeli opinion article says Turkey's Nato protection does not apply to troops in Syria Submitted by MEE staff on Thu, 08/20/2026 - 19:39 The commentary was published in Israel Hayom, which is owned by the same Israeli mega-donor backing US President Donald Trump Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan walks arm in arm alongside US President Donald Trump at Etimesgut Air Base near Ankara, Turkey, on 7 July 2026 (Mustafa Kamaci/Turkish Presidency Press Office handout via AFP) Off An opinion article on Thursday in the right-wing Israeli paper Israel Hayom has suggested that any Turkish troops in Syria would be considered sitting ducks for Israel , because Nato's collective defence pact would not apply outside a member state's borders. The piece comes two days after Israeli air strikes destroyed parts of a disused air force base in northern Syria, close to the Turkish border, where Israel believed Turkish troops were on the cusp of moving in. "Before Turkish troops arrive, the target is infrastructure; once they arrive, striking it also risks Turkish casualties, retaliation, American intervention and confrontation with a NATO member.