US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack said that Israel, despite its technological superiority and tactical capabilities, is strategically heading towards "collapse from within," repeating the phrase twice: It is simply an internal collapse.
In remarks made on a podcast with Mario Novell, a journalist close to Elon Musk, Barak acknowledged that Israelis are technologically "smart and capable," but said he does not see them as "evil," and that he believes they are acting in what they think is a defense of their survival.
Barak said he had discussed the matter with the Israelis, and that he was their "best friend" in the Arab world, even if they didn't see it that way, because he constantly tries to convince Arab leaders that the only way out in the end is "alignment," referring to an alliance with Arab and other countries in the region. He added that he believes Israel understands this as well.
Barak serves as Washington's ambassador to Ankara and is also the special envoy to Syria. His past remarks about Israel have sparked controversy. Last April, he faced renewed criticism from two Republican senators and influential conservatives after comments he made at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, according to the Jewish Insider website. He stated that the smartest thing Israel could do was to cultivate and embrace Turkey.
Meanwhile, the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, via its website Ynet, reported that Barak is facing growing anger within the Trump administration, and that officials are considering whether to recall him to Washington, according to activist Laura Lomer. The website quoted an Israeli official criticizing the ambassador's handling of the region.
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Barak: What worries me in Syria is a Druze sheikh exploiting Israeli support against other Druze
US Ambassador to Türkiye Tom Barrack stated that Israel and Syria will reach an understanding because Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has made it clear that he does not aspire to any hostile role towards Israel.
Barak said that what worries him in southern Syria is not Israel, but a particular Druze sheikh who, he said, is using an "impression" of Israeli support and coordination with Washington to persecute other Druze, referring to Hikmat al-Hijri, but without explicitly mentioning him in the interview.
Barak said that Shara “does not have a Hezbollah, has not fired a single shot, and has never attacked Israel,” and that he informs Tel Aviv that he does not want to attack it.
He added that Sharia law told Israel that it had no hostile interest towards it.
In contrast, the Israelis were quoted as expressing their concerns that al-Sharaa was a fundamentalist fighter in al-Nusra, that there were foreign fighters in the military units near their borders, that they needed space on the border , and that they would not allow anyone to cross it "after October 7."
Barak described the phase as "confidence-building," referring to five rounds of talks on the border, which began in Paris, and said: "We almost got there... and I think we will get there again."
Druze and Captagon
Barak believed that the Druze could arm themselves with the money they earned from the Captagon trade, and he likened the substance to the manufacture of methamphetamine.
He said that Damascus is acting cautiously because it realizes that responding to any incursion could ignite the situation, and therefore it has exercised great patience as it sees Israel protecting its "buffer zone" through incursions, while the Druze are behaving in what he described as "an inappropriate manner".
He said that if the sheikh in question is suggesting to people that he has American support, then he is "completely mistaken".
Barak’s remarks come amid ongoing tension in the Suwaida province, where in July 2025 Suwaida witnessed a week of clashes between Druze groups and Bedouin tribes that left hundreds dead, before a ceasefire was reached on the 19th of the same month.
In contrast, Arab, regional, and international states affirm their commitment to the territorial integrity of Syria and reject any steps toward secession. Furthermore, the Syrian Constitutional Declaration, ratified by President Ahmed al-Sharaa in March 2015, establishes a unified presidential republic system without adopting federalism.