Israel is demanding that the United States maintain 'Russian military bases in Syria' to prevent the influence of Turkey from expanding in Syria, where the Bashar al-Assad dictatorship has collapsed.
According to four anonymous sources quoted by Reuters on the 1st (local time), Israel conveyed this opinion through meetings with senior officials of the Trump administration held in Washington last month and with U.S. lawmakers in Israel. The opinion conveyed by Israel centers around leaving Syria, which is controlled by rebel forces, in a decentralized state in the future.
In particular, Israel sought to convince the United States to allow Russia to retain its Mediterranean naval base in Tartus and its Khmeimim air base in Latakia. When U.S. officials, surprised by Israel's positive remarks about Russia's continued presence in Syria, questioned whether Turkish membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) would not be a better security option, an Israeli official reportedly responded 'firmly' against it, according to Reuters.
Israel and Turkey are vying for influence in Syria, where the Assad regime has collapsed. Turkey has supported some Syrian rebel forces to check the Kurdish rebel forces seeking independence and has conducted direct military operations in Syria under the pretext of eradicating the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which it has designated as a terrorist organization.
Conversely, from Israel's perspective, Turkey's influence, which has supported Palestine and Hamas during the Gaza Strip war, expanding into Syria is unwelcome. Israel, which occupies the Golan Heights, recognized as Syrian territory under international law, has taken this opportunity after the collapse of the Assad regime to move troops into the buffer zone across the border and is demanding the complete demilitarization of the area.