Click to see full-size image. (X)

Turkey has agreed on a roadmap to rebuild Syria’s naval forces in a move that could expand Ankara’s military influence in the eastern Mediterranean and alter the regional balance with Greece and Israel.

Turkey’s Defense Ministry announced the initiative on October 23 after a senior Turkish naval delegation visited the Syrian port city of Latakia.

The discussions covered ship repair and construction, individual and team training, modernization programs and improvements to naval facilities. The ministry said the two sides had reached an understanding and established a roadmap for cooperation.

The delegation included Rear Adm. Erdinç Yetkin, commander of Istanbul Shipyard; Rear Adm. Timur Yılmaz, the Navy’s logistics chief; Rear Adm. Yücel Darcan, head of naval training and education; and representatives of ASFAT, a Turkish defense company.

The initiative comes as Syria attempts to rebuild its armed forces after more than a decade of civil war that ended with the collapse of Bashar Assad’s government close to two years ago.

The country’s already weakened military infrastructure suffered further devastating losses when Israel launched a large-scale campaign to destroy what remained of the former government’s military capabilities.

Strikes targeted Syrian naval facilities along the coast, sinking more than a dozen warships and destroying all coastal defense systems. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz subsequently announced that the operation had destroyed Syria’s naval fleet.

The attacks left Syria with little capacity to field a modern combat fleet capable of challenging established naval powers in the region. Rebuilding that capability will require equipment, technical expertise, trained personnel and functioning maritime infrastructure — areas in which Turkey possesses a substantial advantage.

For Ankara, the cooperation offers an opportunity to establish a deeper and potentially long-term role in the security of Syria’s Mediterranean coastline.

The latest initiative also follows a significant Turkish naval visit to Latakia in July. Turkish Naval Forces Commander Adm. Ercüment Tatlıoğlu arrived aboard the TCG Istanbul frigate, marking the first visit by Turkish naval vessels to the port since the beginning of Syria’s civil war, according to Anadolu Agency.

The deepening maritime cooperation between Turkey and Syria could provoke the maritime alignment involving Greece, Cyprus and Israel.

Ankara has long disputed aspects of Greece’s maritime claims and opposed regional energy arrangements that it considers exclusionary. Greece, Cyprus and Israel, meanwhile, have pursued closer security and energy cooperation, creating another arena for competition over maritime access and regional influence.

A July analysis published by Anadolu Agency, written by a professor at Turkey’s National Defense University, explicitly presented a stronger Syrian navy and improved naval infrastructure at Latakia as developments that could affect this regional balance.

The analysis described cooperation with Syria as another component of Turkey’s expanding network of partnerships with Mediterranean countries, alongside its existing relationships with Libya and Egypt.

For Israel, a future Syrian navy backed by Turkey could introduce a new variable along a coastline where Israel previously faced a severely weakened Syrian military.

The immediate military implications, however, remain limited. The announced roadmap does not establish publicly disclosed rights for Turkey to permanently base warships at Latakia, and the ministry has not announced specific ship orders, delivery schedules or the scale of the planned force.

The agreement therefore represents the beginning of a potential naval reconstruction program, not evidence that Syria has already regained a meaningful maritime combat capability.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence

NOW hosted at southfront.press

Previously, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.org.

The .org domain name had been blocked by the US (NATO) (https://southfront.press/southfront-org-blocked-by-u-s-controlled-global-internet-supervisor/) globally, outlawed and without any explanation

Back before that, from 2013 to 2015, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.com

SOUTHFRONT.PRESS

MORE ON THIS TOPIC:

Click to see full-size image.

Footage released by the Houthis (Ansar Allah) on October 21 appeared to show the wreckage of two Turkish-made STM Kargu loitering munitions in the central Yemeni province of Marib, highlighting Ankara’s growing involvement in the conflict as it prepares to expand military support for Saudi Arabia.

The footage, released by Houthi military media, showed what the movement described as attacks on concentrations of Saudi-aligned forces and the destruction of several military vehicles east of Ragwan district.

The wreckage of two Kargu loitering munitions which were shot down by Houthi fighters during the fighting is seen in the footage.

The Kargu is a compact, electrically powered multirotor loitering munition developed by Turkish defense company STM. The drone has an operational range of approximately 10 kilometers and can remain airborne for less than 30 minutes, according to the manufacturer. Its takeoff weight, including its payload, is about 7.7 kilograms.

Equipped with electro-optical and infrared cameras, the loitering munition can operate during the day and at night. It can carry anti-personnel or armor-piercing warheads and is designed to identify and engage stationary or moving targets autonomously.

The appearance of the Turkish-made loitering munition in Marib comes amid mounting evidence of Ankara’s expanding military support for Riyadh.

Earlier this month, Reuters reported, citing a United States official, that Turkey’s assistance to Saudi Arabia included air defense support, drone operators, logistical assistance, and intelligence and surveillance capabilities.

Turkey has maintained that its support is defensive, but its potential military role is moving closer to formal military deployment.

On October 20, Ankara submitted the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan to parliament for ratification. The agreement, signed in August, treats an armed attack on one member as an attack on all three.

A ruling Justice and Development Party lawmaker told Reuters the next day that Turkey would submit a separate mandate authorizing the deployment of military personnel to Saudi Arabia once parliament approves the agreement. The initial deployment would focus on technical personnel and specialists supporting air defense, electronic warfare and other defensive capabilities, the lawmaker said.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has ruled out using the agreement to send troops abroad to carry out offensive attacks.

The Kargu wreckage does not establish whether Turkish personnel operated the loitering munitions, or whether the systems were supplied to Saudi forces or their Yemeni allies. But their reported presence on the battlefield points to a deepening Turkish involvement.

As Turkey expands its military support, it risks becoming increasingly integrated into Saudi military operations against the Houthis. Even if Turkish troops remain stationed in Saudi Arabia and Ankara continues to describe its mission as defensive, the support could facilitate operations inside Yemen.

As the conflict escalates, the distinction between protecting Saudi territory and becoming an active participant in the Yemen war could become increasingly difficult to maintain.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence

NOW hosted at southfront.press

Previously, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.org.

The .org domain name had been blocked by the US (NATO) (https://southfront.press/southfront-org-blocked-by-u-s-controlled-global-internet-supervisor/) globally, outlawed and without any explanation

Back before that, from 2013 to 2015, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.com

SOUTHFRONT.PRESS

MORE ON THIS TOPIC:

File image.

Libya’s eastern-based parliament on October 20 unanimously approved a disputed maritime agreement with Turkey and reversed its decision to sever political relations with Ankara, removing a major obstacle to rapprochement between the Turkish government and the Libyan National Army (LNA), led by Khalifa Haftar.

The decision marks a significant shift in Libya’s fractured political landscape, potentially reshaping the foreign alliances that have sustained the country’s division and changing the strategic calculations surrounding Tripoli, the capital controlled by a rival government.

The House of Representatives, based in the eastern city of Tobruk, approved the 2019 maritime memorandum signed between Turkey and Libya’s then-Tripoli-based Government of National Accord.

Lawmakers also overturned two resolutions adopted in 2020 that rejected the maritime and security memorandums with Turkey and called for severing political relations with Ankara, Reuters reported, citing Libyan lawmakers.

Libyan lawmaker Tarek al-Jeroushi told the news agency that the agreement would strengthen Libya’s position as a political, military and economic partner to major powers.

“Some countries may be upset by this agreement, but what matters to us is our national interest,” he said.

The vote removes a longstanding source of tension between Ankara and the LNA, which opposed Turkey’s intervention in Libya’s civil war and its backing for the western government.

Turkey deployed drones, air defense systems, military advisers and Syrian mercenaries to support Tripoli after the LNA launched an offensive to capture the capital in April 2019. Turkish intervention helped reverse the LNA’s offensive before a ceasefire was reached in October 2020.

Relations have since undergone a marked transformation. Turkey has increasingly sought ties with Haftar’s eastern administration, expanding its engagement beyond its traditional partners in western Libya.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan visited Tripoli and Benghazi in August, holding talks with officials from both sides, including Haftar and his son Saddam, the LNA’s deputy commander.

Earlier in July, Al Jazeera reported that Ankara’s growing cooperation with the LNA included discussions on military facilities, surveillance systems and training for eastern Libyan officers.

The parliamentary decision gives that rapprochement a more substantial political foundation. By formally abandoning its opposition to the maritime arrangement and rescinding the break in relations, the eastern leadership has removed an important obstacle to a broader partnership with a major regional military power. Haftar, in turn, gains an opportunity to diversify the LNA’s foreign relationships beyond longstanding backers such as Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Russia.

The implications for Tripoli could be particularly significant. Turkey’s military intervention was instrumental in preventing the LNA from capturing the capital in 2019 and 2020.

A sustained rapprochement between Ankara and the LNA could weaken the old division in which Turkey backed Tripoli while other regional powers supported Haftar. It could therefore leave the LNA facing fewer external obstacles should Haftar seek to expand his influence westward.

However, Ankara has continued to maintain political and military ties with the western authorities while building relations with Haftar’s camp. Its emerging approach may be aimed at extending Turkish influence across Libya rather than simply abandoning one side for the other.

The agreement also carries implications beyond Libya. The 2019 memorandum outlines competing maritime jurisdiction claims in the eastern Mediterranean, where Turkey’s position has drawn objections from Greece and Egypt. Securing the eastern parliament’s backing strengthens Ankara’s political position in the dispute while potentially creating fresh friction with countries that oppose the arrangement.

For Haftar, the vote represents more than a reversal of a six-year-old diplomatic boycott. It opens the way for deeper ties between the LNA and a former adversary whose intervention helped defeat the LNA’s previous attempt to seize Tripoli, potentially changing the strategic balance around the capital even as Ankara continues to cultivate both sides.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence

NOW hosted at southfront.press

Previously, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.org.

The .org domain name had been blocked by the US (NATO) (https://southfront.press/southfront-org-blocked-by-u-s-controlled-global-internet-supervisor/) globally, outlawed and without any explanation

Back before that, from 2013 to 2015, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.com

SOUTHFRONT.PRESS

MORE ON THIS TOPIC: