Syria, Turkey and Israel Reportedly Agree to Joint Security Committee
Syria, Turkey, and Israel have reportedly agreed to establish a joint security committee aimed at preventing accidental military confrontation inside Syria.
Abu al-Duhur airbase following strikes, Syria, August 18, 2026.REUTERS
The deal has reportedly emerged from the U.S.-mediated talks in Jordan. It's expected to improve the communication between the three sides as Turkish and Israeli military activity in Syria increasingly overlaps, raising the risk that an unannounced deployment or a misread movement sets off an exchange of fire.
None of the three governments have publicly confirmed the arrangement. It is also unknown whether the understanding was set down in a signed document or agreed verbally in Jordan.
The move follows Israel's August 18 strike on Abu al-Duhur Airbase, where Israel claimed Syria was preparing to facilitate a Turkish deployment. Syria and Turkey denied this, saying Turkish personnel were present only for existing military cooperation and training.
The dispute over that strike is the kind of gap the committee is meant to close. Three militaries read the same activity three different ways, with no shared channel to test the reading before acting on it.
The committee should be viewed primarily as a deconfliction and crisis-management mechanism, not a political reconciliation agreement. It is built to manage contact between forces, not to settle the interests that put those forces close together.
The development suggests all sides are actively trying to prevent miscalculation from escalating into a confrontation between Turkey and Israel. The broader competition over Syria's future remains unresolved.
