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Turkey seeks to purge pro-US Kurdish force that helped defeat Islamic State in Syria

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Turkey seeks to purge pro-US Kurdish force that helped defeat Islamic State in Syria

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JERUSALEM — Just hours after meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and discussing the fight against the Islamic State in Syria, Turkey’s foreign minister sent a shocking message to Washington by saying his country’s goal is to eliminate the main fighting force of the Syrian Kurds, which defeated ISIS in tandem with the U.S..

According to Turkish media, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said in a live broadcast on NTV that “the elimination of YPG is [Turkey’s] strategic goal.” He also noted the country’s Kurds must be protected.

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Asked about Fidan’s comments, the State Department referred Fox News Digital to comments made earlier on Friday after Blinken’s meeting with Fidan in Turkey. 

The statement said, in part, “Secretary Blinken emphasized the importance of U.S.-Turkish cooperation in the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS mission in Syria.”

SYRIAN DICTATOR BASHAR ASSAD FLEES INTO EXILE AS ISLAMIST REBELS CONQUER COUNTRY 

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan Dec. 13, 2024, in Ankara, Turkey.  (Getty Images)

The U.S. has a long-standing military alliance with the Syrian Kurdish military organization, The People’s Defense Units (YPG), in Syria. The YPG is part of a broader organization known as the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and played a key role in dismantling the Islamic State in Syria.

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has seized on the collapse of Syrian dictator Bashar Assad’s rule to gobble up territory controlled by the pro-American Syrian Kurds, risking hard-won gains against the Islamist State terrorist movement.

Erdoğan’s campaign to purge the SDF in northern Syria has created a dangerous security situation in the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS), according to Gen. Mazloum Abdi, the SDF’s commander in chief.

In an exclusive interview Thursday, Mazloum told Fox News’ Jennifer Griffin, “We are still under constant attack from the Turkish military and the Turkish-supported opposition, which is called SNA. Eighty drone attacks a day we have from the Turkish military. There is intensive artillery shells. This situation has paralyzed our counterterror operation.” 

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan speaks to attendees during a rally to show solidarity with the Palestinians in Istanbul, Turkey, Oct. 28.  (AP/Emrah Gurel)

Islamic State prisoners held in SDF-run detention camps could escape amid the military offensive launched by pro-Turkish forces against the SDF. The SDF has redirected much of its force capability and resources to blunt an aggressive Turkish-backed military offensive. 

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In 2022, Fox News Digital reported that Erdoğan’s slated invasion of northern Syria could open the floodgates for the release of as many 10,000 Islamic State fighters.

The U.S. on Wednesday brokered a cease-fire between the pro-Turkey Syrian National Army (SNA), the Syrian opposition (TSO) and the SDF.

Syrian Kurdish security forces stand by as former detainees suspected of being members of the Islamic State are released in Syria’s northeastern city of Hasakeh Sept. 2, 2024. (Delil Souleimani/AFP via Getty Images)

FALL OF SYRIA’S BASHAR ASSAD IS STRATEGIC BLOW TO IRAN AND RUSSIA, EXPERTS SAY

The U.S. has about 900 troops stationed in northeast Syria who coordinate with the SDF to prevent the resurgence of the Islamic State after the new wave of Turkish attacks against the Syrian Kurds.

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Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., warned the Turks on X, posting, “In the past I have drafted sanctions targeting Turkey if they engage in military operations against the Kurdish forces who helped President Trump destroy ISIS. I stand ready to do this again in a bipartisan way.

“We should not allow the Kurdish forces — who helped us destroy ISIS on President Trump’s watch — to be threatened by Turkey or the radical Islamists who have taken over Syria.”

Fox News Digital attempted to contact various Turkish officials, including its embassy spokespeople in Washington and Tel Aviv and its United Nations mission in New York.

“We have time and again pointed out threats against our national security, posed by the PKK/YPG terrorist network in Syria and Iraq,” Turkish diplomats previously told Fox News Digital about the Kurdish military forces PKK and YPG. PKK is an abbreviation for the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, an organization classified by the U.S. as a terrorist entity. 

Displaced Kurds leave a refugee camp in the north of Aleppo, fleeing to Afrin, Dec. 4, 2024. (Ugur Yildirim/DIA Images/Abaca/Sipa USA via AP Images)

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Efrat Aviv, a professor in the Department of General History at Bar-Ilan University in Israel and a leading expert on Turkey, told Fox News Digital, “Turkey’s actions in Syria further complicate the situation and hinder international efforts to bring about a comprehensive resolution to the conflict. The withdrawal of Turkish forces from the region and the cessation of conflicts with the Kurds could contribute to improving regional stability and efforts to end ISIS terrorism.

TURKEY’S INVASION THREATS SHOULD BE TAKEN ‘VERY SERIOUSLY’: CYPRUS OFFICIAL

“Turkey’s military actions in Syria jeopardize regional stability and undermine efforts to end ISIS terrorism. The Turkish strikes not only harm the Kurds, but also exacerbate the humanitarian situation in the region, causing significant population displacement.”

Uzay Bulut, a Turkish-born political analyst, told Fox News Digital, “Erdoğan’s imperial ambition in Syria has not changed. Land grab and demographic change have always been Turkey’s plan in Syria. Turkey’s military campaigns against Syria have brought nothing but instability to the region and severe persecution of minorities.

“To prevent further abuses, massacres or forced displacements against Christians, Kurds and Yazidis and to stop the spread of jihadism in the region, the Trump administration should get involved diplomatically to protect religious and ethnic minorities, particularly defenseless Christians, in Syria.” 

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The entrance of the Kweyris military airfield in the eastern part of Aleppo province Dec. 3, 2024, shows a portrait of Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad and a national flag in a dumpster after the takeover of the area by rebel groups. (Rami Al Sayed/AFP via Getty Images)

Syria’s Christian population could be as low as 2.5%, down from 10% before the civil war started in 2011. Christian and other ethnic and religious minorities face persecution from the radical Islamist Sunni terrorist organization Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and its extremist allies. 

“The ongoing jihadist assault against Syrian Kurds and Christians is led by the al Qaeda offshoot, HTS,” Bulut said. “HTS forces are backed by the government of Turkey and have brutalized and displaced religious minority communities in Idlib since 2017. HTS aims to install Islamic rule in Syria.”

The Trump transition team did not respond to Fox News Digital press queries.

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When asked by Fox News Digital if the U.S. was contemplating sanctioning Turkey, a State Department spokesperson said, “As a general matter, we do not preview sanctions.”

On his trip to the region Friday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken met his Turkish counterpart, and the two discussed the latest developments in the area. 

A readout of their meeting noted in part that Blinken “reiterated calls for all actors in Syria to respect the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all Syrians, including members of minority groups, and to prevent Syria from being used as a base for terrorism.”

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Investors brace for a bigger backlash from Middle East war

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Investors brace for a bigger backlash from Middle East war
From being just a fringe risk, conflict in the Middle East has become a top worry for investors unsettled by the prospect of a power struggle in Iran and a protracted regional war, with ramifications for everything from global trade to inflation.
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Tel Aviv analyst shelters from 30 missile sirens in 48 hours, says Iran ‘won’t recover’

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Tel Aviv analyst shelters from 30 missile sirens in 48 hours, says Iran ‘won’t recover’

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The past 48 hours in Tel Aviv have been unlike anything seen before, a leading security analyst has said, as sirens blared amid missile threats following Operation Epic Fury and U.S.-Israeli strikes in Iran.

“We are facing a biblical event — nothing less,” Kobi Michael, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies and the Misgav Institute, told Fox News Digital, speaking from his shelter in the city.

Like many Israelis, Michael said he had spent hours in reinforced rooms during the ongoing barrage, adding that he was “very experienced in this.”

“But this all requires time and determination, and I do hope that Trump will also have them both,” he said, speaking shortly after the president released a video message stating that the military operation would continue “until all of our objectives are achieved.”

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Explosions from projectile interceptions by Israel’s Iron Dome missile defence system over Tel Aviv. (JACK GUEZ / AFP via Getty Images)

“Trump is the only one who can make the change — and that change will impact the entire region and the international order for years to come,” Michael added.

As of Sunday, Tel Aviv remained under a state of emergency following Iranian missile attacks that caused casualties and widespread damage.

According to The Associated Press, Iranian missile and drone strikes have killed approximately 11 Israeli civilians and wounded dozens more in retaliation for the U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran.

Shrapnel from missile impacts damaged at least 40 buildings in Tel Aviv, and authorities reported at least one death in the area from falling debris.

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The Philippine Embassy in Israel confirmed the death of a Filipino national after a missile strike hit Tel Aviv on Saturday.

TOMAHAWKS, B-2 STEALTH BOMBERS AND ATTACK DRONES POUND OVER 1,000 IRANIAN TARGETS IN 24-HOUR BLITZ

People take shelter as Iran launched missiles and drones towards Israel following the US-Israeli attacks. ( Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu via Getty Images)

“We enter our shelter once the siren is heard and stay there until the Home Front Command announces that we can leave,” Michael said.

“Usually, it is about 20 to 30 minutes — unless there are further sirens during our stay. Since yesterday morning, it has happened around 30 times.”

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Israel’s President Isaac Herzog also visited an impact site in Tel Aviv Sunday, delivering a message of resilience.

“The people of Israel and the people of Iran can live in peace. The region can live in peace. But what undermines peace time and again is terror instigated by this Iranian regime,” Herzog said.

EXILED IRANIAN CROWN PRINCE SAYS US STRIKES MARK ‘BEGINNING OF THE VERY END’ FOR REGIME

Israeli emergency service officer walks past building debris at the scene of a Iranian missile attack. (Ahmad GHARABLI / AFP via Getty Images)

Following the reported killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and roughly 40 senior Iranian officials, Iran formed a provisional leadership council.

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Iran named Ayatollah Alireza Arafi, President Masoud Pezeshkian and Judiciary Chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’i to lead roles.

“The Supreme Leader did not complete the necessary groundwork regarding his own succession,” Michael added.

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“Pezeshkian will face very troubling challenges due to their heavy losses, severe disruptions to control and command systems, and the massive bombing and attacks across Iran, including Tehran,” he said.

“Even if this regime doesn’t collapse, it will never be able to reconstitute itself, recover or return to its previous position,” Michael added.

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Israel FM says Europe too divided, slams Spanish PM

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Israel FM says Europe too divided, slams Spanish PM

Israeli minister Gideon Sa’ar said Europe “does not have unified position” on what role it should play in Iran as European ministers sought to establish a joint approach Sunday.

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As Israel and the United States conducted a joint military strike on Iran, leading to the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Europe was kept on the sidelines.

EU member states did not participate in the operation and, in some cases, they were not informed prior as it is customary among strategic allies.

Asked whether Israel sought to keep Europe on the margins, Sa’ar said internal divisions within EU member states had kept them out of critical exchanges of operational details, unlike the United States, which the minister described as his country’s greatest ally.

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“In Europe, you have all kinds of approaches,” he told Euronews. “You have countries like the Czech Republic which is strongly supporting this operation and then you have Spain, which is standing with all the tyrants of the world.”

On Saturday, Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez was among the most critical voices in Europe, suggesting the US-Israeli strikes on Iran risk plunging the region into total war.

“We reject the unilateral military action of the United States and Israel, which represents an escalation and contributes to a more uncertain and hostile international order,” Sánchez said Saturday. The Spanish PM reiterated that message on Sunday.

“We urge for de-escalation and call to respect international law in all conflicts,” Sánchez added. “You can be against a heinous regime, like the Iranian regime, while also rejecting a military intervention that is unjustified, dangerous and outside of international law.”

Sa’aar said Israel considers the operation “fully justified” citing the right to self-defense from a regime that “has called for the destruction of Israel” and lashed at the Spanish prime minister for sending an “anti-Israeli, anti-American message.”

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“Read the statement, they are standing with Iran!” he added.

When asked if any of his European counterparts had manifested an interest in joining the military operation or provide support on the ground, Sa’ar said he held multiple exchanges with European ministers over the weekend and suggested that “if others want to join, they will know have to convey the message.”

On Sunday, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen appeared to back regime change in Iran in line with Israel and the US, saying that the “risk of further escalation is real. This is why a credible transition in Iran is urgently needed” in comments on Sunday.

Sa’ar told Euronews said the strategic strikes and the elimination of Khamenei alongside top regime commanders could “create the conditions to weaken the regime enough to allow the Iranians to take their future into their own hands”.

“The future leadership of Iran should be determined by the Iranian people through free elections. Our only requirement is that whoever comes to power in Iran must not pursue the destruction of Israel,” he said.

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Watch the full interview on Euronews from 8pm CET

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