Syria is assessing whether to join the Mecca alliance, Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said on Saturday, according to Syrian state media. The grouping includes Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, with Egypt identified as another potential member. The discussions come as Syria also seeks to rebuild its armed forces with Turkish support, according to a researcher interviewed by The Jerusalem Post.
Yoni Ben-Menachem, a senior researcher at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, told the newspaper on Sunday that Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s pursuit of membership served Turkish interests. He characterized the effort as an expansion of a Sunni Islamist axis led by the Muslim Brotherhood, potentially preparing to occupy a regional power vacuum if Iran’s Islamic regime falls.
In Ben-Menachem’s assessment, those developing the alliance anticipate Iran’s collapse and want Sunni countries to replace the influence of the Shi’ite axis. He said the grouping would also encompass Sunni states outside the Muslim Brotherhood. He further speculated that Qatar would announce it was considering membership.
Iran, however, has so far reacted favorably to the pact. Experts previously interviewed by The Jerusalem Post said Tehran regarded the security grouping as a move away from Washington that could diminish American influence in the Middle East and Gulf. Senior officials from countries belonging to the pact held open discussions with Tehran in Iran the previous week.
Ben-Menachem also described Syrian territorial ambitions as extending beyond opposition to Israel’s security zone. He linked those ambitions to the Golan Heights, which Israel claimed during the 1967 Six Day War, and argued that they reflected broader expansionist aims. In his view, those aims supported Israel’s justification for maintaining the zone.
As an example, he pointed to Syria’s historical ambitions in Lebanon and its former military presence there. Syrian forces remained in Lebanon until 2005, he said, withdrawing after the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafic Hariri.
Turning to Syria’s military rebuilding, Ben-Menachem said the country was seeking to assemble an army from more than 130 armed groups dispersed across its territory. He described Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham as the central component of that effort and said Turkey was supporting the process.
Citing Israeli security sources, Ben-Menachem said such an army could threaten Israel if successfully formed, alleging that its members were jihadists considering future attacks. He also described Turkey as hostile toward Israel. He argued that the potential threat justified retaining the security zone, warning that withdrawal could expose Israeli communities to attacks like those Hamas carried out against Jewish communities along the Gaza border.
