Joe Kent claims US NATO withdrawal will enable backing Israel against Turkey 

ISLAMABAD: In a revelation sending shockwaves through diplomatic circles, former US National Counterterrorism Center director Joe Kent has declared that America’s potential NATO exit is not about reducing foreign entanglements but about openly siding with Israel in an expected clash with Turkey in Syria.

The statement, posted on X on April 9 2026, has already amassed over 3.89 million views and 72,904 likes within hours.

Kent, a retired Green Beret with 11 combat deployments and ex-CIA officer, resigned as NCTC chief on March 17 2026 in protest against the US-Israel war on Iran.

He accused Israel of pressuring Washington into that conflict despite no imminent Iranian threat to America.

His latest warning directly references ongoing Trump administration talks on scaling back or leaving NATO.

Kent wrote that leaving the alliance would position the US to support Israel when Turkey and Israel eventually clash in Syria.

He added that this follows US actions that helped topple Syria’s secular government and install a former al-Qaeda-linked leader as president.

Regional Turkish media including Turkiye Today and Gazete Oksijen have widely reported the claim, framing it as evidence of Washington’s bias toward Israel over its NATO partner Turkey.

Analysts note Israel conducted more than 600 strikes inside Syria throughout 2025 alone to counter Turkish influence.

Turkey, NATO’s second-largest military with over 355,000 active personnel, has sought to establish bases in central Syria after Assad’s fall.

Israeli strikes have already targeted sites Ankara considered for deployment, forcing deconfliction talks mediated by Azerbaijan.

Those fragile agreements now appear at risk of collapse.

US defence spending accounts for nearly 70 percent of total NATO budgets, giving Washington outsized leverage in any exit scenario.

Israel’s annual military budget exceeds 24 billion dollars, backed by advanced F-35 jets and layered missile defences.

Turkey maintains a far larger ground force but relies on NATO interoperability that a US departure could fracture.

Kent’s post explicitly ties the Syria theatre to broader US policy failures.

He argues America has played arsonist and fireman in the Middle East for decades without strategic gain.

His personal stake is clear: Kent lost his first wife, Shannon, a Navy cryptologist killed in an ISIS suicide attack in Syria in 2019.

He has repeatedly described that conflict as one manufactured in Israel’s interest rather than America’s.

The statement arrives amid heightened regional tensions following the 2026 Iran war.

Syria’s new leadership, viewed by some as Islamist-leaning, has become a flashpoint between Ankara’s push for stability under Turkish influence and Tel Aviv’s insistence on a fragmented buffer zone.

Pakistan, a close strategic partner of Turkey through joint military exercises and defence pacts, watches developments with concern.

Islamabad has long maintained no diplomatic ties with Israel and supports Turkey’s regional security role.

Kent’s comments have ignited debate in European capitals where NATO cohesion is already strained by US policy shifts.

If Washington exits to prioritise Middle East commitments, analysts warn it could leave Europe exposed while deepening American involvement in endless Syrian skirmishes.

Turkish officials have not yet issued an official response, but social media and state-aligned outlets portray the remark as confirmation that Ankara’s interests are secondary to Israeli ones in Washington.

Kent urged restraint, stating it is time to stop the cycle of intervention that costs American lives and treasure.

His analysis, while controversial, draws on years of on-ground experience across Iraq, Syria and Yemen.

International coverage remains limited to specialist outlets, but the viral spread across Turkish, Arabic and Russian platforms underscores its resonance beyond US borders.

The episode highlights growing fractures within NATO itself.

Turkey, once a key pillar, now faces the prospect of a US ally choosing Israel over alliance solidarity in a future Syria confrontation.

With over 3.8 million views and counting, Kent’s warning has thrust the Turkey-Israel-Syria triangle into global spotlight.

Whether it foreshadows actual policy or serves as internal critique remains to be seen, yet the data points to escalating risks.

Syria has already absorbed hundreds of Israeli airstrikes and Turkish operations since Assad’s ouster.

Any direct Turkey-Israel clash could draw in Kurdish factions, Iranian remnants and potentially US forces under the new alignment Kent described.

For now, the former counterterrorism chief’s words serve as a stark reminder that alliance exits carry unintended battle lines.