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Source: https://www.israelhayom.com/2026/08/23/turkey-cements-military-economic-grip-over-syria/
Turkey's Quiet Takeover inside Syria
(Israel Hayom) Shachar Kleiman - A source in western Syria said Turkey's footprint in the region has grown significantly more pronounced, particularly in the port cities of Latakia and Tartus. "Officials representing Turkish intelligence and the Turkish military are playing in Syria as if it were their private playground," the Syrian source revealed. "This manifests in Turkish vehicles - some of which are armored - that soldiers are using to move around on the roads." Syrian agents have been brokering real estate deals in the residential districts of the two cities on behalf of Turkish businessmen. Footage broadcast in July 2026 by the Qatari network Al-Araby revealed a convoy of Turkish military trucks and armored vehicles advancing toward Deir ez-Zor in eastern Syria. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that Turkish forces have actively fortified their footprint, surrounding bases with concrete blast walls, defensive trenches, and earthen berms. Turkish National Defense Ministry Spokesman Zeki Akturk announced on July 16 that Turkish Naval Forces commander Ercument Tathoglu had visited Latakia alongside a flotilla of warships, the first time Turkish naval vessels had docked there in 15 years.