Last December, Syria’s long-term dictator Bashar Assad was toppled, Russia and Iran’s stronghold in the country was greatly diminished, and the Kurds announced they would drop their weapons. Within months, Syria radically transformed. On April 17, the United States announced it would withdraw some of its troops from the war-torn country. The one nation poised to benefit from the emerging power vacuum is Turkey.

Analysts are alarmed, yet they fail to see the more dangerous power behind Turkey.

In “Syria’s Fall: Another Key Prophecy Fulfilled,” Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry explained how Turkey broke with Russia and Iran and helped overthrow the Assad regime. In the following months, Turkey had the most diplomatic engagements with Syria’s new government (93 meetings), followed by Saudi Arabia (34), according to a study by the Washington Institute.

Recent events may open the door for Turkey to further expand its influence in the country.

At the end of December, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan called for Kurdish militants in Syria to lay down their weapons or “be buried.”

Reuters explained: “Turkey views the Kurdish [People’s Defense Units] militia—the main component of the U.S.-allied Syrian Democratic Forces (sdf)—as an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (pkk) militia, which has waged an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984.”

Erdoğan’s demand is twofold. The disarmament of the Kurds would also force a strategy change for the U.S.

In February, the jailed pkk founder, Abdullah Ocalan, called for the dissolution of the militant group and for members to lay down their weapons. Since then, the Syrian government has negotiated with the Kurds, and now the U.S. is dwindling its cooperation with them.

Some fear this could revive the Islamic State, infamous for its despicable violence and countless beheadings.

But an unchecked Syria worries neighboring Israel for many more reasons.

Conflicting terrorist groups are often united by their hatred for the Jewish state. Given that Turkey is one of the world’s main supporters of terrorism and openly supports Hamas, Israel has little hope that its presence in Syria will keep the evil at bay.

Yet analysts fear that without U.S. backing, Israel can do little about it. And there is indication the U.S. is backing the other side.

“Post-Assad Syria needs a strong country to help it out of the chaos, and Turkey wants in; with America backing Erdoğan, there’s little Israel can do beyond insisting on redlines,” the Times of Israel wrote on April 11 in “Israel Will Need to Get Used to Turkey’s Growing Footprint in Syria.”

“Ultimately, when it comes to Syria, Turkey simply cares more about it than Israel does, and invests accordingly. Israel’s interest in Syria is purely security-oriented,” Gallia Lindenstrauss, a senior research fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies, told the Times of Israel. “That gives Ankara the upper hand.”

She further claimed that President Donald Trump is “pushing Israel to adopt a minimalist approach in Syria. To prioritize, Israel will have to insist only on its most critical red lines, like preventing Iranian arms transfers to Hezbollah through southern Syria.”

Although Israel got rid of one foe in Syria—Iran—it now has to deal with another—Turkey.

Israel naturally fears Turkey’s military extension. On March 30, Erdoğan called for the destruction of Zionism and Israel and showed his allegiance to the Hamas “martyrs.”

Turkey itself is also a foe to be reckoned with. Though a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, it shares little of the alliance’s original goals. It has the second-strongest troop numbers in the alliance and access to U.S. nuclear weapons—and who knows what other secret weaponry.

But there is more behind Turkey’s engagement in Syria, as Mr. Flurry explained:

Turkey isn’t the only one that wanted Iran out of Syria—Germany did too. This is a point of agreement between these two countries. (And remember, besides the two being nato allies, Turkey is a favored trading partner of Germany. And Germany’s president calls it a “valuable friend.”) …

Turkey’s support for the Syrian rebellion was strongly assisted by German armaments.

Just before Turkey sparked this uprising, Germany resumed major arms exports to Turkey. “Germany and Turkey want to cooperate more closely again after years of restraint in the arms sector,” reported German public broadcaster zdf (Oct. 19, 2024). On December 12, it was revealed just how big this deal is. A report by the Federal Ministry of Economics says Germany approved arms exports worth $242 million to Turkey in 2024, the highest amount since 2006. This included $83.7 million for weapons of war and $158.7 million for other military equipment. Handelsblatt wrote, “The figures now published reflect a change of course in recent months. At the end of September, Green politician Robert Habeck’s Ministry of Economics announced that torpedoes, guided missiles and components for submarines were once again being approved for Turkey on a larger scale” (Dec. 12, 2024).

This massive influx of arms from Germany surely encouraged Turkey to spark this rebellion in Syria!

It is no coincidence that Germany was one of the first to reopen its embassy in Syria on March 20, despite the fact the new government was still involved in the brutal butchering of the Alawite minority.

We can expect Germany’s presence in Syria to grow. But more interesting is what happens behind the scenes—and this can only be understood if we look at these facts in light of Bible prophecy.

Psalm 83 reveals a secret alliance between Germany and Turkey for some devious goals. This alliance is explained in detail in “A Mysterious Prophecy.” Based on this prophecy, Mr. Flurry stated in 2013 Key of David program:

Turkey is going to ally itself with Germany, not with America and not with Britain and not with the Jewish nation in the Middle East. Because of that alliance and Turkey’s hatred for Britain and America and the Jews in the Middle East, God has a powerful prophecy against them. But they’re going to do a lot of their dirty work that they have in mind. They’re already doing it, as a matter of fact.

Turkey is doing the dirty work for Germany, allowing Germany to appear as a force for good. But as the prophecy in Psalm 83 reveals, a devious plot is being worked out that seeks to utterly eradicate “the name of Israel.”

This plot will unfold as long as our world refuses to repent from its disobedience to God. In fact, the Bible shows that most of our world will not repent until Jesus Christ intervenes supernaturally.

To understand the big picture, read Mr. Flurry’s article “Syria’s Fall: Another Key Prophecy Fulfilled.”