Bitter rivalry emerging in Middle East between two old adversaries over Syria's future

Relations between Israel and Turkey have deteriorated sharply in recent years under their respective leaders.

- Amin Saikal

The fall of Mr Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria has opened a new front for geopolitical competition in the Middle East.

Now, however, instead of Iran and Russia playing the most influential roles in Syria, Israel and Turkey see an opportunity to advance their conflicting national and regional security interests.

Under their respective leaders, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, relations between the two countries have deteriorated sharply in recent years. This sets the stage for a bitter showdown over Syria.

NEW RIVALRY IS EMERGING

Turkey is widely reported to have backed the offensive led by the Sunni rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) to drive Mr Assad from power, thus backstabbing Syria's traditional allies, Iran and Russia.

Tehran has intimated that without Turkey's support, HTS would have been unable to achieve its blistering takeover.

Now, with Mr Assad gone, Mr Erdogan is believed to be positioning himself as de facto leader of the Sunni Muslim world. He also wants Turkey to be one of the dominant powers in the region.

Mr Erdogan has said if the Ottoman Empire had been divided in a different way following its defeat in World War II, several Syrian cities, including Aleppo and Damascus, would have likely been part of modern-day Turkey.

Turkey immediately reopened its embassy in Damascus after Mr Assad's fall and offered help to HTS in shaping the country's new Islamist order.

As part of this, Mr Erdogan has opposed any concession by HTS to the US-backed Kurdish minority in Syria's north-east, which he regards as supporters of the Kurdish separatists in Turkey.