As Israeli-American strikes pounded Iran, Tehran retaliated by targeting Gulf states over their hosting of U.S. military bases, prompting urgent questions about why countries such as Turkiye, Azerbaijan, and Armenia, which host similar facilities, were spared.

Riyadh is no longer willing to position itself within “Israel’s” camp or play a subordinate role in regional arrangements, instead seeking to act as an independent power able to maneuver and impose its own terms.

In a move widely seen as signaling the start of a new Middle Eastern chapter, Turkiye is seeking to join the Saudi-Pakistan Mutual Defense Agreement signed on September 17, 2025.

Attention is increasingly turning to the military base in the port city of Berbera, amid discussions about the Israeli Occupation's recognition of the breakaway region of Somaliland.

Turkiye has been trying to deploy radars on Syrian soil in recent weeks, amid an escalating confrontation between “Israel” and Turkiye over Ankara's presence in Syria.