Trump’s removal of Syria sanctions and embrace of ex-jihadist leader Ahmad al-Sharaa fuels tensions with Israel and Turkey, triggering warnings over proxy clashes and shifting Middle East alliances.
The tectonic plates of Middle East power politics just shifted, and Israel isn’t standing on solid ground.
In a stunning reversal of a decade-old U.S. stance, President Donald Trump has lifted sanctions on Syria and personally endorsed its new leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa—a former al-Qaeda commander turned regional player with backing from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Trump praised Sharaa as a “tough, attractive guy” with a “real shot” at stabilizing Syria, triggering shockwaves in Jerusalem and raising alarms over an emerging anti-Israel alignment.
The move, announced during Trump’s visit to Riyadh, came after consultations with Erdogan and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Though marketed as a gesture toward Syrian “reconstruction,” it’s being read in Israel as something much more sinister: a strategic realignment that sidelines the Jewish state while legitimizing a man once known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani—the jihadi insurgent leader who once pledged allegiance to Al-Qaeda.
For Israel, the implications are chilling. In response, the IDF has escalated its presence in Syria’s southern regions, particularly the Syrian Hermon. Meanwhile, Israeli officials, including Consul General Ofir Akunis, are accusing Sharaa of continuing assaults on the Druze community—many of whom have family ties to Israel. “He’s no moderate,” Akunis warned. “He’s the same terrorist, now wearing a suit.”
Yet Trump isn’t backing down. Not only did he reject Netanyahu’s appeal to maintain sanctions, he doubled down by offering to mediate between Israel and Turkey—despite Erdogan’s explicit threats against Israel and his alignment with Syrian rebels. Erdogan’s declaration that Turkey will “prevent threats to Syria’s unity” is being interpreted in Tel Aviv as code for deeper Turkish military involvement, with implicit permission from Washington.
The result? An uneasy Israeli-American divide. While the White House insists that Trump remains “Israel’s best friend,” his actions are telling a different story: direct negotiations with Hamas, a softening on Iran, and now a rehabilitation of one of the most controversial figures in the Syrian war.
As the geopolitical map is redrawn—with Turkey, Syria, and possibly Qatar forming a new triangle of power—Israel is watching allies make moves without it. And Netanyahu, once Trump’s closest ally, is now left fending off what he sees as an American-enabled encroachment on Israel’s red lines.
Whether this is strategic brilliance or reckless abandonment depends on who you ask. But for Israel, the warning is clear: the Trump-Erdogan-Sharaa axis is rising—and Jerusalem may be the odd one out.
