According to a report by KurdPress, Kurdish journalist Pejdar Altan, writing for the Mesopotamia Agency, examined recent security and political developments in Syria. Focusing on French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Damascus and the explosions that coincided with it, Altan argued that these events should be viewed within the context of geopolitical and intelligence rivalries involving Turkey, the US, Israel, and other regional actors. In his analysis, he raised allegations regarding the role of Turkish security agencies and explored Ankara’s objectives in Syria, the competition for regional influence, and the implications of these developments for the Syrian interim government.

Caught between the interests of the US and Israel on one side and those of Turkey on the other, the Syrian Interim Government—hampered by its own internal contradictions—failed to prevent bombing attacks targeting Emmanuel Macron. It is alleged that Turkey is behind this attack.

The war being waged by the US and Israel alongside Hezbollah in Lebanon, the internal conflicts within Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (which has been brought into the administration of Damascus), tribal organization, French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to Damascus, and the attacks that have occurred in the city all indicate that multi-layered calculations are at play in Syria.

It is evident that over the past month, Turkey’s activities in Syria—spanning the military, intelligence, economic, and diplomatic spheres—have intensified. While Turkey has scaled back the visible footprint of its military presence—particularly in Serekaniye, as well as in Aleppo and its surrounding areas—it has adopted a new approach centered on technology and intelligence. Structures rapidly erected using mobile cranes are part of an architectural pattern that disregards local infrastructure and civilian life. It is alleged that groups trained and equipped by Turkish intelligence—which seek to make the Syrian Interim Government dependent on them for security—have been implicated in kidnappings and killings across numerous areas.

The bombing that targeted Macron was not merely a security lapse; it was a multi-layered message revealing Turkey’s deep intelligence penetration in the Syrian theater, its strategy of covert warfare against regional alliances, and the leverage it has cultivated through *al-Shar‘* (religious/ideological networks). Extremist groups—which have aligned with *al-Shar‘* based on jihadist and Salafist objectives since the emergence of Al-Nusra Front and ISIS in Syria—have recently escalated their threats. Initially confined to media rhetoric, these threats rapidly evolved into actual bombings on the ground. The explosion that targeted civilians near the Damascus Palace of Justice is a clear indication of this new wave.

The Syrian interim government implemented extensive security measures to safeguard Macron’s visit; however, it is alleged that these measures collapsed at a critical juncture due to information leaked by the security team itself. It is claimed that an explosive device had been planted on the motorcycle of a security officer responsible for protecting diplomatic missions, suggesting that the operation was orchestrated from within. Reports indicate that Damascus's top security official is a Turkish citizen and that Turkish intelligence controls key levers of power in the city. Against this backdrop, there are assessments suggesting that Turkish intelligence may be behind this terrorist act.

Ankara views the defense agreement between France and the Republic of Cyprus as a move that threatens regional balances. From Turkey's perspective, the growing closeness between Syria and France also signifies Syria’s shift toward the Cyprus-Greece-France-Israel axis. Consequently, it is argued that Damascus’s resort to terrorism was intended to convey the message: "We will not allow this coalition to take shape." Turkey seeks to continue the strategy of using extremist groups in Syria against Israel—replacing Hamas and Hezbollah in this role. However, the heavy losses these groups have suffered in conflicts have driven Ankara to seek new avenues of leverage. Instability in Syria enhances Türkiye's regional bargaining power.

Aiming to gain full control over the economy of Syria's coastal region, Turkey has presented its companies with prospects for port construction. This move is part of a strategy to preempt projects that Israel intends to launch in the coastal area through Emirati firms. Controlling the coastal region could place Syria's economic lifeline—including regional trade routes as well as energy and logistics corridors—under Turkish control. Meanwhile, requests from certain French-backed companies to the interim government to commence operations had also drawn a reaction from Turkey.

The addition of the Hezbollah issue to all these factors gives rise to a political crisis. U.S. policy aimed at compelling al-Sharaa and the Syrian interim government to go to war with Hezbollah clashed with Turkey’s counter-move; Turkey exerted intense pressure on the interim government to avoid such a conflict and instead adopt a strategy of supporting Hezbollah against Israel.