Turkish intelligence assisted IDF in attack on Syria – report
Kuwaiti newspaper says Turkish intelligence provided Israel with information on targets Air Force allegedly attacked last week without Turkish government's authorization
Turkish intelligence provided Israel with information on the Syrian targets allegedly attacked by the Air Force last week without the Turkish government's authorization, Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Jareeda reported Thursday.
Al-Jareeda quoted several sources as saying that Israel and senior Turkish military personnel coordinated Israel's invasion of Turkish airspace during the operation to send a message to the ruling Justice and Development party, or AKP. Senior military officials in Turkey, most of whom are secular, oppose the Islamist party's platform.
According to the sources, AKP member and newly-elected President Abdullah Gul is not doing enough to prevent the transfer of arms from Iran to terror groups in Syria and Lebanon via Turkey.
However, the London-based Arabic newspaper al-Sharq al-Awsat reported that IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi refused to take a call from his Turkish counterpart, who asked for clarifications on the attack.
An Israeli diplomatic source said last Saturday that Turkey asked Israel for clarifications after finding two fuel tanks on its territory near the Syrian border allegedly belonging to Israeli warplanes,
Furthermore, Turkey's top-selling Hurriyet newspaper carried photographs of what it said were fuel tanks jettisoned by Israeli F-15Is sent to gather intelligence on Syrian installations near the Turkish border.
