U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack is facing growing anger inside the Trump administration, with officials discussing whether to recall him to Washington after a series of disputes tied to Israel, Turkey and Syria, conservative activist Laura Loomer reported on X.
“Source tells me Ambassador Tom Barrack is on thin ice with the Trump administration and US State Department,” Loomer wrote, saying some officials believe Barrack bears responsibility for the recent escalation in tensions between Israel and Turkey.
In a second post, she said Barrack had been called back to Washington for “consultations” and quoted a State Department source as saying: “We want him gone so badly we might hire packers to pack his belongings for him.”
Loomer also said Barrack “almost started a regional war between Israel, Turkey and Syria” after accusing Israel of illegally occupying the Golan Heights.
Her claims have not been independently confirmed.
The reported backlash comes after a sharp escalation between Israel and Turkey over Ankara’s attempt to expand its military presence in Syria, particularly around the Abu al-Duhur Air Base near Idlib.
A senior Israeli official said last week that Turkey had “understood the message” after Israel struck the base, where Ankara was reportedly seeking to establish a presence that Jerusalem feared could restrict the Israeli Air Force’s freedom of action.
“Turkey understood the message and stopped the move, but it is unclear for how long,” the official said.
According to the official, diplomatic efforts had failed to prevent the Turkish move, leaving Israel to conclude that military action was necessary.
Tom Barrack with Benjamin Netanyahu
(Photo: Maayan Toaf/ GPO)
He declined to specify exactly what Turkey had planned to deploy at the site, but described it as “real and significant things that must not be there,” saying such systems could create a dangerous precedent and constrain future Israeli operations in Syria.
The official said Turkey could become a serious long-term threat, though he stopped short of predicting an imminent confrontation.
“I don’t see a war with it tomorrow morning,” he said.
The dispute reflects a broader Israeli concern about Turkey’s growing role in Syria.
Jerusalem wants to prevent a major military buildup in southern Syria and preserve the Israeli Air Force’s freedom of action, while at the same time maintaining contacts with Damascus and avoiding a direct clash with Ankara.
The same Israeli official sharply criticized Barrack’s handling of the region, saying the ambassador was helping legitimize Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa internationally and “causing us significant damage.”
Israel has nevertheless continued diplomatic engagement with Syria, including contacts between senior Israeli and Syrian officials, while retaining the option of using force when it believes its security interests are threatened.
The official described that approach as a form of “quantum diplomacy,” inspired by President Donald Trump.
“It’s not zero or one,” he said. “He works with everyone and fights everyone.”
Israel’s unease with Turkey is not based solely on military deployments.
Under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Ankara has expanded its regional footprint while adopting increasingly hostile rhetoric toward Israel. Turkey remains one of the strongest military powers in the region and operates military facilities or deployments across several countries, including Syria, Libya and Somalia.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, one of Erdoğan’s most powerful allies and a possible future successor, recently described Israel as “a burden humanity can no longer carry,” language that has further intensified concern in Jerusalem.
Israeli officials also point to Turkey’s ties to Muslim Brotherhood-aligned movements and its broader ideological direction under Erdoğan.
At the same time, Israel has strong incentives to prevent the confrontation from spiraling.
Turkey is a NATO member, maintains close ties with Trump and remains important to Israeli energy security. A significant share of oil reaching Israel from Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan passes through Turkey and is exported from the port of Ceyhan.
That leaves Israel facing a difficult strategic balance: checking Turkish military expansion in Syria without opening another front with one of the region’s most powerful states.
If Loomer’s report is accurate, Barrack has now become part of that confrontation.
What began as a dispute over Turkey’s military ambitions in Syria has expanded into a political fight inside Washington over whether the US ambassador helped aggravate a crisis that brought Israel and Turkey dangerously close to a wider clash.