Competition of regional actors in the power struggle in Syria: The example of Iran and Israel

Syria, which has maintained an important place in power struggles from history to the present, has attracted the attention of actors in the region due to its coastline on the Mediterranean, having other strategic passageways, and hosting various ethnic, cultural and ideological differences. Syria, affected by the Arab Spring in the Middle East, was thrown into chaos with the civil war that started in 2011. There is a huge authority gap in Syria. States influencing the process intervened in the civil war in line with their own positions. With this study, "What are the factors behind the power struggle in Syria?" Why was the civil war approached from the perspective of power? Why was the competition of regional actors chosen? The research asks 'How, to what extent and in what context were Iran and Israel involved?' By examining problems such as these, the following findings were reached. Power is both means and end. The aim of states is to eliminate their rivals and maintain their existence by maximizing power. They tried to take early measures in Syria with security discourse in order to protect their strategic and national interests. They used proxy fighters as a deterrent tool in their own interests. They instrumentalized the Arab Spring and used political, cultural and ideological phenomena to achieve their own goals. Ethical and moral values were ignored. The United Nations is also ineffective as a supra-state body. It was stated that the struggle for power among regional powers in Syria has been going on since ancient times. The domination of imperialist countries and the Assad family's coming to power were mentioned as the background of the process leading to the crisis. However, the study was limited to the period after the Arab spring. Since the Arab Spring affected both Syria's power field and the regional powers involved in the conflict, the competition of regional actors was selectively analyzed. It has been concluded that the fact that regional powers in the Middle East are directly or indirectly involved in the same process and the same geography makes competition between them inevitable. In the political context, Iran favors the continuation of a government loyal to its regime in Syria, while Israel wants a Syria that will not threaten itself and whose power is limited. In the ideological context, Iran operates within the scope of the Shiite crescent and Israel operates within the scope of the promised land, causing the two axes to overlap and ultimately conflict. In this study, Israel's attacks on this country by claiming the current Iranian threat in Syria against itself and Iran's maintaining its military presence in this country with the intention of defending Syria by claiming it as a resistance front against Israel, its attacks on this country. It was concluded that it was addressed. caused continued instability.