In the aftermath of Syria's 2024 political collapse, two powerful neighbors — Israel and Turkey — have rushed to fill the vacuum left by Assad's fall, each carrying a different claim to legitimacy and a different vision for the region's future. Israel struck a Syrian airbase in August 2026 over a Turkish military threat that US intelligence could not confirm, setting off an exchange of insults and naval provocations that neither government officially wants to escalate into war. The confrontation reveals a deeper contest: Turkey operates in Syria by invitation, Israel by unilateral decree, and