JERUSALEM — In December 2024, after Islamic-led rebels overthrew President Bashar Assad’s brutal regime, President-elect Donald Trump gave Israel a rhetorical green light to expand its military reach in Syria. Capitalizing on Syria’s leadership void, the Israel Defense Forces quickly decimated its neighbor’s military infrastructure and widened the buffer zone between the two countries.

Four months later, and well into his second, nonconsecutive term, Trump may be ready to give Turkey similar latitude to expand its buffer zone with Syria, and to establish air bases there. If Trump gives the go-ahead, it could put Israel and Turkey on a collision course that both would like to avoid.