ANKARA, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday voiced strong opposition to any division of Syrian territory, following the end of heavy clashes in the country's south, Turkish media reported.
"We firmly oppose any fragmentation of Syrian territory," the Turkish leader told media aboard his presidential plane, reaffirming Türkiye's support for Syria's interim government, Hürriyet Daily News reported.
He accused Israel of attempting to exploit tensions in Syria's southern Sweida province as a pretext to invade the country, warning that Israel's actions threaten regional stability.
"The bigger strategic problem is Israel's attempt to occupy the region using this conflict as an excuse," the semi-official Anadolu Agency quoted Erdogan as saying.
Erdogan also revealed diplomatic contacts with Damascus. He said Türkiye's intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin and Defense Minister Yasar Guler are engaged in talks with their counterparts.
A ceasefire announced on Saturday has brought a fragile calm to Sweida province after eight days of intense fighting between Druze and Bedouin armed groups, with human rights groups reporting the full implementation of the deal on Monday.
The conflict left more than 1,120 people dead, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The violence also triggered mass displacement, with over 2,000 Bedouin families fleeing to neighboring Daraa province, official figures showed. ■
