Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said after a visit to Damascus that the two neighboring countries want to deepen their ties, praising Syria's efforts since the ouster of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December.

Turkey has built close ties with the new Syrian authorities, who are working to attract investment to rebuild infrastructure destroyed in the country's devastating civil war.

Fidan, who made his third trip to Damascus since December, met with interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

"In our talks with Mr. Sharaa today, we had the opportunity to discuss many issues such as trade, investment, transportation, and energy," Fidan wrote on Twitter.

Under the leadership of the presidents of the two countries, "we are determined to deepen cooperation between Turkey and Syria in every field," he added.

Fidan said they also discussed Israel's operations in Syria.

"The Syrian government is facing many challenges to make the country safer, more stable, and more prosperous. The international community, especially the United States and European countries, is providing significant support," the minister said.

"Israel, on the other hand, is pursuing a policy of destabilizing our region," he continued, adding that thwarting Israel's policy is "a shared responsibility of the international community."

Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes on military targets since Assad's overthrow, saying it wants to prevent weapons from falling into the hands of the new authorities, which it considers jihadists.

In July, Israel bombed Syrian government forces in the capital Damascus and in the province of Suwayda to force them to withdraw from the southern region amid a wave of sectarian violence.

Israel said it was protecting the Druze community, but some diplomats and analysts say its goal is to weaken the Syrian army and keep the new government's forces away from the border. | BGNES