Syria Ruffles Turkey's Feathers

The attack by Syrian regime thugs on Turkish missions in Syria last Saturday has spurred a strong rebuke and warnings from Ankara. However, while this may have been the most open Syrian attack against Turkey, it certainly was not the first, or the most dangerous. For months now, the Turks have known that Damascus, in league with Tehran, is working with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) against them. In Bashar al-Assad’s calculation, the PKK offers an instrument both to deter Turkey and to splinter the opposition to his rule.
 
Turkish media analysis and intelligence reports began focusing on this renewed relationship back in the summer, as the conflict between Ankara and the Kurdish group began heating up with increased PKK attacks. A consensus quickly emerged that the Iranians, who may have released the militant group’s acting leader after seizing him in the Kandil Mountains in August, were likely trying to pressure Turkey over its critical stance toward their Syrian ally.