Syria's transitional government has asked for Turkey's support in strengthening its defence capabilities, Turkish officials said on July 24, the Associated Press (AP) reported.

The reported request comes in the wake of sectarian violence experienced by the post-Assad country over the past two weeks, with clashes in the south leading to Israeli airstrikes, purportedly to protect a Druze population clashing with Bedouin tribes in Suwayda province. Those airstrikes included the bombing of the defence ministry and military General Staff HQ in Damascus and forces of the interim government. 

Turkey has accused Israel of wanting a "fragmented" Syria on its doorstep in line with selfish Israeli interests, while Israel has accused Turkey of wanting to make a "protectorate" out of Syria. 

Syria was seeking assistance also to counter "terrorist organisations," including Islamic State, said the quoted defence officials, who, the AP reported, spoke only on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the issue publicly.

Turkey, which closely supports the transitional government in Damascus, was working toward providing training, advisory services and technical support to help bolster Syria’s defense capacity, the officials reportedly added.

"As long as our brotherly country, Syria, requests it, Turkey will continue to stand firmly by its side," Omer Celik, spokesman for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan´s ruling party, told reporters when asked to comment on the Syrian request.

"The heroic Turkish armed forces will fulfill this both to assist our Syrian brothers and to prevent instability there, which is vital for Turkey´s national security," he said.

Turkey, though, has been somewhat embarrassed by Israeli actions in Syria since the toppling of long-time Syrian president Bashar al-Assad in December in a military offensive led by jihadist militia supported by Ankara. When Israel got wind of Turkish plans to take over some Syrian air bases, it bombed the bases.

In an interview with the AP earlier this week, the US envoy to Syria and ambassador to Ankara Tom Barrack said Washington has "no position" on the prospect of a defence pact between Syria and Turkey, a Nato member.

"It's not in the US business or interest to tell any of the surrounding nations with each other what to do," he said.

Ankara has also got behind an agreement struck between the interim Syrian administration and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, who control the northeast of Syia, for the latter to integrate into Syria's new national army. However, implementation of the deal appears to have stalled. A major sticking point seems to be whether the SDF will remain a cohesive unit in Syria's army or be dissolved entirely. Turkey has cautioned that the SDF must stick to the deal.

On July 24, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan repeated past warnngs to Kurdish and other groups in Syria against exploiting tensions to pursue autonomy. He cautioned that any such attempts to divide Syria would be taken as a direct threat to Turkey's national security, which could spark an intervention.