Azerbaijan mediating between Israel, Turkey in effort to reduce Syria tensions
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev initiated direct dialogue between Israel and Turkey a year ago, resulting in an operational coordination mechanism intended to prevent conflict in Syria
Assessment
Azerbaijan's quiet mediation between Israel and Turkey over Syria has been running for a year, producing a coordination mechanism to avoid direct confrontation. The arrangement matters because both countries have competing interests and military presence in Syria. The real test is whether this backchannel can hold when incidents occur on the ground.