OMM Redaksiyası
US Congressman Joe Wilson has called on Israel to end its airstrikes on Syria, saying the attacks “shouldn’t be done,” Anadolu Agency reported.
“I’m really grateful the president’s envoy, Tom Barrack, has expressed opposition to the Israeli airstrikes, and it just shouldn’t be done,” Wilson, a Republican from South Carolina, said in an interview with Anadolu on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.
Asked whether he was directly calling on the Israeli government to halt the strikes, Wilson replied: “Absolutely.”
“I appreciate the leadership of President Donald Trump, at the request of Türkiye, at the request of Saudi Arabia, to give Syria a chance. And Syria will succeed, and then it’s beneficial to every country in the Middle East,” he said.
US envoy criticised Israeli strikes
Wilson said the “liberation of Syria”, referring to the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in late 2024, was important for other countries in the region, including Iran and Lebanon.
Barrack, the US special envoy for Syria who also serves as ambassador to Türkiye, said in August that Washington was “deeply concerned” about Israeli airstrikes on the Abu al-Duhur Airbase in northern Syria. He described the attacks as an “unnecessary escalation that does not advance regional stability.”
Wilson backs Türkiye’s F-35 return
Wilson, who co-chairs the Congressional Caucus on US-Türkiye Relations and Turkish Americans, also highlighted the longstanding ties between Washington and Ankara, including their cooperation since the Korean War.
“I’m very grateful that Türkiye led the effort for the liberation of Syria, and Syria now having an opportunity of stability, peace and prosperity, it’s going to benefit all of the Middle East, but particularly Türkiye,” he said.
Asked about efforts by Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to resolve the dispute over Türkiye’s purchase of Russia’s S-400 air defence system and Ankara’s possible return to the F-35 fighter jet programme, Wilson said he was “hopeful.”
He said he supported US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth working with Türkiye, arguing that cooperation between Washington and Ankara would contribute to “peace through strength.”
Asked whether he supported the sale of F-35 fighter jets to Türkiye, Wilson replied: “I do. Yes, I do.” He also backed lifting sanctions imposed on Türkiye under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, known as CAATSA.
“But the bottom line, let’s go back: Türkiye is a great ally of America, America is an ally of Türkiye, and we want mutual benefit,” he said.
Dispute over S-400 system
The US suspended Türkiye from the F-35 fighter jet programme in 2019 after objecting to Ankara’s purchase of the Russian S-400 air defence system. Washington said the system could endanger the aircraft and was incompatible with NATO systems.
Türkiye has repeatedly said the two systems are not incompatible and proposed establishing a commission to examine the issue. Several Turkish defence entities were sanctioned under CAATSA.
During a meeting with Erdogan in Türkiye in July on the sidelines of the NATO summit, Trump said he would “certainly” consider allowing Ankara to purchase F-35 fighter jets and wanted to remove the CAATSA sanctions imposed on the country.
