World
In warning to Turkey, Israel hits strategic targets in Syria amid rising tensions
Israel launched a wave of airstrikes on Syrian military airfields this week, in what officials confirmed to Fox News Digital was “intended to send a clear message to Turkey not to interfere with Israeli aerial operations in Syrian airspace.”
The escalation marks a turning point in Jerusalem’s stance toward Ankara, as Turkey attempts to expand its military presence in Syria amid regional instability.
The Israeli Defense Forces struck strategic assets at both the Hama military airport and the T-4 airbase, including runways, fuel storage sites, radar systems and weapons caches. The strikes follow weeks of intelligence gathering by the Israeli air force, which tracked military assets in the targeted bases.
The airbases, which had been under the control of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, are now reportedly being eyed by Turkey for expanded use and the deployment of air defense systems.
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Chief of the General Staff LTG Eyal Zamir visited and conducted a situational assessment in the Area of Separation in Syria. (IDF)
Turkey has signaled growing ambitions in Syria. Reports from Middle East Eye indicate that Turkish forces have begun moves to take control of the T-4 base and are planning to install air defense systems there. Since the fall of Assad in December, Ankara has accelerated negotiations with Syria’s interim government over a potential defense pact.
Turkey’s Foreign Ministry reacted sharply to the Israeli strikes, labeling Israel’s government as “racist and fundamentalist,” accusing it of expansionist ambitions. “Israel’s attacks in Syria, without any provocation, are inconceivable and indicate a policy that thrives on conflict,” a ministry spokesperson said. The statement further condemned Israel’s military operations as a threat to regional security.
Fox News Digital requests for comment to the Turkish embassy spokesman in Washington, D.C., were not returned.
Dr. Sinan Ciddi, a Turkey expert at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is attempting to capitalize on the regional vacuum left by Russia and Iran.
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan observes a military exercise in Izmir, Turkey, on June 9, 2022. (Photo by Xinhua via Getty Images)
“Erdogan is trying to reignite Turkey’s influence in the region as a sort of neo-Ottoman power,” said Ciddi. “He sees Iran’s proxies weakened, Russia overstretched, and is positioning Turkey to dominate the region — particularly through military footholds like the airbases.”
Ciddi said Erdogan’s long game includes projecting power in Syria, currying favor with the new government in Damascus and convincing the U.S. to grant Turkey access to F-35 fighter jets in exchange for “managing” Syria.
“Erdogan wants to go to Trump and say, ‘I’m the big guy here. Leave Syria to me, just give me the F-35s,’” Ciddi said. “But Israel sees this as a direct threat. Bombing the T-4 runway was a clear message: you’re not welcome here.”
The Turkish leader’s recent inflammatory rhetoric — including prayers for the destruction of Israel during a Ramadan service — has further alarmed Israeli and American observers.
During a recent webinar hosted by the Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA), former U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Eric Edelman called for urgent diplomatic intervention.
Security forces loyal to the interim Syrian government ride in the back of a vehicle moving along a road in Syria’s western city of Latakia on March 9, 2025. (OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP via Getty Images)
“There ought to be some quiet discussions with Turkey about toning down the rhetoric about Israel — threats to destroy it, whether coming from the president or his son at rallies,” said Edelman. “There needs to be some kind of effort to deconflict over Syrian airspace.”
Edelman also warned that renewed F-35 sales to Turkey must come with conditions: “If Turkey is actually going to possess the F-35, there has to be some very clear understandings about where they can use it.”
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Alan Makovsky, JINSA Eastern Mediterranean Policy Project member said, “We can never assume statements like this are just rhetoric,” adding, “Erdogan has alluded in the past to being able to ‘come suddenly one night’ — we have to take that seriously.”
Inside Israel, officials are closely watching Turkey’s moves in Syria. Avner Golov, vice president of Mind Israel, emphasized that the current crisis reflects a deeper ideological threat.
“Iran is clearly the head of the radical camp, but Erdogan is trying to position himself as the second head — and he’s no less dangerous in terms of potential,” he said. “He doesn’t use proxies the same way Iran does. He intervenes directly, including inside Israel through Palestinian citizens and political activism.”
An Israeli Air Force F-35 Lightning II fighter aircraft during an air show in Tel Aviv on April 26, 2023. (JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images)
“Israel has diplomatic ties with Turkey, but Erdogan keeps blocking meaningful security cooperation in NATO” Golov added. “Now that Turkey is moving south into Syria, we [Israel] need to escalate the rules of engagement. We can’t allow Turkey to create a long-range air defense umbrella on our border.”
Golov said the current administration needs to understand that Erdogan’s ambitions go beyond Syria. “He wants to become a patron state, to control the skies, and to prevent Israeli operations by claiming we’re violating Syrian sovereignty. But it’s not about sovereignty — it’s about power and shaping the new Middle East in Muslim Brotherhood colors.”
On the recent protests against the jailing of the mayor of Istanbul, Ciddi said, “We’ve seen a great challenge to Erdogan with these rising public protests — probably the biggest since the 2013 Gezi protests … jailing an opposition candidate before they even run is a clear sign of weakness. Erdogan doesn’t care about international criticism or economic fallout — all he cares about is maintaining his regime. That’s not strength, it’s desperation.”
World
Landlords allegedly posting ‘Muslim-only’ apartment ads in violation of country’s equality act: report
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Some landlords in England are apparently advertising “Muslim-only” apartments online, according to a local media report.
An investigation by The Telegraph found that alleged listings posted in London on Facebook, Gumtree and Telegram feature phrases such as “only for Muslims,” “for 2 Muslim boys or 2 Muslim girls,” and “Muslims preferred.”
Other ads appeal to Punjabi and Gujarati speakers, while some job vacancies on the platforms are advertised for men only.
Some listings specify “Hindu only,” in addition to posts that likely use religious subtext by stating: “The house should be alcohol and smoke-free.”
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On Facebook, a company called Roshan Properties posted dozens of listings stating “prefer Muslim boy,” “one double room is available for Muslims,” and “suitable for Punjabi boy.” A Meta spokesman told Fox News Digital that Facebook then removed the company’s page “for violating the platform’s policies on discriminatory practices.”
Apartment buildings in Westminster, London, U.K. (John Keeble/Getty Images)
The ads run afoul of Britain’s Equality Act 2010, which prohibits discrimination based on religion or belief, race and other protected characteristics.
“These adverts are disgusting and anti-British. It goes without saying that there would be a national outrage if the tables were turned,” Robert Jenrick, Reform UK’s economic spokesman, told The Telegraph. “All forms of racism are unacceptable, and no religious group should get a special exemption to discriminate in this way.”
Houses and properties line Cheyne Walk in Chelsea, London, U.K. Some landlords in the city are illegally advertising for “Muslim only” tenants across the city, an investigation by The Telegraph has found. (Richard Baker/In Pictures via Getty Images)
One landlord told The Telegraph to “go away” when asked about an ad for a “Muslims only” room for $1,150, and whether it was available to renters of other faiths.
A spokesperson for Gumtree told the newspaper that the company has clear policies in place that prohibit unlawful discrimination.
On Facebook, a company called Roshan Properties posted dozens of listings stating “prefer Muslim boy,” (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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“We take reports of inappropriate listings very seriously,” the spokesperson said. “The ads referenced appear to relate to private rooms within shared homes, where existing occupants may express preferences about who they live with. This is different from renting out an entire property, which is subject to stricter rules under the Equality Act.”
Telegram did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Europe’s critical raw materials crisis has a partial answer sitting in the waste stream — but the continent has been too slow to see it.
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Dorota Włoch, CEO of Eneris Surowce, was direct: recycling is no longer optional.
Unlike plastics, metals can be recovered and reused indefinitely, making urban mining — the recovery of raw materials from existing products and waste — increasingly valuable, particularly for batteries.
“From recycling, we recover metallic aluminium and so-called black mass, which is a concentrate of metals, mainly cobalt-nickel. These are some of the most valuable battery metals. And batteries are crucial today, not only in the automotive sector, but also in storing energy from renewable sources such as wind and solar,” she said.
‘Europe is 25 years late’
Włoch put the scale of the problem plainly. “Deposits are critical — any machine can be bought, but natural resources are not. They are non-transferable and non-renewable. If we use them, they simply disappear,” she said.
Europe’s belated recognition of that reality has cost it dearly.
“The regulation of critical raw materials came 25 years after other regions of the world had invested heavily in deposits. Europe was too passive. Today we are catching up, but the regulations are often so demanding that countries like Poland have difficulty implementing them.”
Who benefits most from extraction?
Poland holds significant reserves of raw materials critical to the modern economy, such as copper, coking coal, nickel, platinum group metals, helium, rhenium, lead and silver.
But the minerals needed most for the energy transition, such as lithium, cobalt and graphite, exist only in limited quantities, forcing imports.
Arkadiusz Kustra, dean of the faculty of civil engineering and resource management at AGH University of Science and Technology in Kraków, told a panel at the European Economic Congress that awareness of the full supply chain, and who profits from it, was now essential.
He pointed to Serbia as a case study.
“Serbia has lithium deposits and is already in talks with Mercedes or Stellantis,” he said. Belgrade is using that leverage to attract investment in battery factories and car plants, keeping more of the value chain at home.
The goal, Kustra argued, should be regional supply chains that retain added value locally.
“You can earn the least at the beginning and the most from the end customer,” he said.
The bigger obstacle is Chinese dominance.
“Margins in critical raw materials largely go to the Chinese, who control more than 90% of processing and trading, even though they do not own most of the deposits,” he said.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo — among the world’s most resource-rich countries — Chinese entities control around 90% of deposits.
The panel also pointed to growing interest in new supply partnerships, with Poland eyeing assets in the Congo region and the Americas.
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