After the Israeli Defense Minister threatened Sharaa, "Israel still hopes to avoid a direct confrontation and reach a shared zone of influence and security arrangements with Turkey, with American and perhaps Russian mediation as well."

Through its airstrikes in Syria and the destruction of military airports there last week, Israel is seeking to reach an understanding with Turkey regarding the division of Syria between the United States in the east, Russia in the coastal region, Turkey in the north, Israel in the southeast, and the new Syrian administration in the remaining areas.

Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper described the division of Syria in this manner on Sunday as "dividing Syria into spheres of influence" between the aforementioned countries. It's worth noting that the Israeli army has occupied vast areas of Syrian territory since the fall of the Assad regime on December 8.

Last week, Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz directly threatened the head of the new Syrian administration, Ahmad al-Sharaa, stating, "If you allow forces hostile to Israel to enter Syria and pose a threat to Israeli security interests, you will pay a very heavy price."

Katz added, "The air force's operation against the T-4 airbase in Hama and the Damascus area is a clear message and a warning for the future. We will not allow the security of the State of Israel to be targeted."

According to the newspaper, Katz did not mention Turkey in his statement because "Israel still hopes to avoid a direct confrontation and reach a shared zone of influence and security arrangements with Turkey, with American and perhaps Russian mediation, in Syrian territory. But the bombing of four major military airports in Syria on the same night was a message to the Sultan in Turkey," referring to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The Israeli military and intelligence services believe that following the fall of the Assad regime, there was growing concern that Turkey might exploit the power vacuum in Syria "to pose a threat to Israel, due to Turkey's relationship with jihadist rebel groups." As a result, the Israeli military occupied Syrian territory, allegedly to "prevent a possible situation in which Sunni jihadist militants were present within a few hundred meters of the towns (settlements) of the Golan Heights," according to the newspaper.

In this way, Israel justifies its occupation of Syrian territory, its raids across Syria, and the destruction of Syrian army weapons depots and military airports. It believes that Türkiye intends to "establish a military and economic presence in Syria through its influence on the Sunni rebels."

The newspaper continued, "Erdogan is currently attempting to expand and consolidate his country's military and economic influence and positioning throughout Syria as part of the 'neo-Ottoman' strategy that Turkey has been pursuing over the past decade, which aspires to become a central regional superpower in the Middle East and influential on the international stage."

The newspaper added that Israel's real, long-term concern regarding Turkey is "the emergence of a Sunni-Islamic axis embracing the Muslim Brotherhood's ideology, led by Turkey and extending through Syria, through the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan, and among supporters of Hamas and Islamic Jihad in the West Bank, ending in Gaza, and replacing the Shiite axis led by Iran."

However, the newspaper noted that unlike Iran, Turkey is a NATO member, a close ally of the United States, and maintains close ties with Russia. "The Israeli and Turkish security and economic apparatuses also maintain enduring ties, and although Turkey currently provides almost overt sponsorship from its territory for Hamas activity in the West Bank, Israel has the ability to speak to the Turks, convey messages to them directly, and even influence them."

The newspaper reported that "Israel's concerns about Turkey's attempts to control Syria, along with other burning issues such as the kidnapped soldiers and Iran, will be a central theme in the expected meeting between Trump and Netanyahu at the White House this week."