Why Israel and Turkey are trading insults and jockeying for power in neighbouring Syria

When Israeli jets struck the Abu al-Duhur airbase in northern Syria on August 18, Israel said the attack was meant to stop Turkish forces from deploying there to help rebuild Syria’s army. US intelligence found no evidence to support the claim, and Turkey and Syria denied any such plan. In the weeks since, Israel and Turkey – the two countries with the most powerful militaries in the region – have traded their harshest words in years. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has…