US Ambassador to Turkey Suggests Israel May Have Provoked Turkey Before Elections

Tom Barrack, the US Ambassador to Turkey and former envoy for Syria under Trump, accused Israel of providing false intelligence about Turkish troop deployments in Syria. In a filmed interview, Barrack claimed Israel informed the US about Turkey’s alleged plans to deploy forces at a Syrian base roughly six days before an Israeli military strike, but US checks found no such deployment. He expressed surprise at the Israeli attack and suggested it might have been an attempt by Israel to lure Turkey into a conflict ahead of Israeli elections. Barrack also proposed that the incident could have resulted from poor communication between Israel’s Mossad, the IDF, and the Prime Minister’s Office. He emphasized that Turkish leadership, including intelligence agencies and President Erdogan, are focused on restraint and do not seek escalation in the region.