Rabia İclal Turan
22 September 2026•Update: 22 September 2026
A US congressman urfed Monday for Israel to end its airstrikes on Syria, saying the attacks “shouldn’t be done,” in an interview with Anadolu on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.
“I’m really grateful the president’s envoy, Tom Barrack, has expressed opposition to the Israeli airstrikes, and it just shouldn’t be done,” said Rep. Joe Wilson, a Republican from South Carolina.
Asked whether he was calling on the Israeli government to end the strikes on Syria, Wilson responded: “Absolutely.”
“I appreciate the leadership of President Donald Trump, at the request of Türkiye, at the request of Saudi Arabia, to give Syria a chance. And Syria will succeed, and then it’s beneficial to every country in the Middle East,” he told Anadolu.
Wilson also said the “liberation of Syria” — referring to the collapse of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad regime in late 2024 — was important for other countries in the region, including Iran and Lebanon.
Barrack, the US special envoy for Syria who also serves as ambassador to Türkiye, said in August that Washington was “deeply concerned” over Israeli airstrikes on the Abu al-Duhur Airbase in northern Syria, calling them an “unnecessary escalation that does not advance regional stability.”
Wilson backs Türkiye’s return to F-35 program
Wilson, who co-chairs the Congressional Caucus on US-Türkiye Relations and Turkish Americans, also underscored the depth of ties between Washington and Ankara, pointing to their cooperation since the Korean War.
“I’m very grateful that Türkiye led the effort for the liberation of Syria, and Syria now having an opportunity of stability, peace and prosperity, it’s going to benefit all of the Middle East, but particularly Türkiye,” he said.
Asked about efforts by Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to address the dispute over Türkiye’s purchase of Russia’s S-400 air defense system and Ankara’s possible return to the F-35 fighter jet program, Wilson said he was “hopeful.”
Wilson said he supported US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth working with Türkiye, adding that cooperation between Washington and Ankara would contribute to “peace through strength.”
Asked whether he supports the sale of F-35 fighter jets to Türkiye, Wilson replied: “I do. Yes, I do.” He also said he supported removing sanctions on Türkiye, imposed under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).
“But the bottom line, let’s go back: Türkiye is a great ally of America, America is an ally of Türkiye, and we want mutual benefit,” he said.
The US suspended Türkiye from the F-35 fighter jet program in 2019 after objecting to its purchase of the Russian S-400 air defense system, claiming the system would endanger the fighter jets and is inoperable with NATO systems. Türkiye has said repeatedly that there is no conflict between the two and proposed a commission to study the issue.
Several Turkish defense entities were sanctioned under CAATSA.
During his meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Türkiye in July on the sidelines of the NATO summit, Trump said he would “certainly” consider allowing Ankara to buy F-35 fighter jets and wants to remove the CAATSA sanctions on the country.