Israel's Foreign Ministry published precise figures Tuesday evening, stating Ankara occupies 36% of Cyprus, 5% of Syria, and 2,000 square kilometers of Iraq, while Israel controls just 0.1% of Syrian territory as a temporary security buffer. The statement expands on an earlier accusation of Turkish hypocrisy.
Israel's Foreign Ministry released updated figures Tuesday evening detailing the scale of Turkey's military deployments abroad, directly contrasting them with Israel's limited buffer zone in Syria.
The statement noted that Turkey occupies 36% of Cyprus, 5% of Syria, and 2,000 square kilometers in Iraq, comparing that with Israel's temporary control of 0.1% of Syrian territory — a buffer zone established after the fall of the Assad regime to protect Israeli communities. The ministry argued that Turkey lectures Israel while maintaining a far larger military footprint.
The updated figures follow the ministry's earlier statement Tuesday accusing Turkey of hypocrisy, as reported by The Zioneer. That initial statement did not include specific land percentages. The new data comes against a backdrop of reports that Turkey is deepening its presence in Syria — rebuilding infrastructure, constructing bases, and training the Syrian army — as well as Israeli security assessments warning that Turkish entrenchment is inevitable.
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