I’m more of the mind that Turkey and Syria have been holding clandestine meetings for some time now- Pretty sure there are reports to that affect here. Even if they haven’t met in a face to face format- Turkey and Syria have communicated via Russia. Possibly via Iran. Basically when the Astana tripartite partners communicate, Syria is aware. This is a good sign. It's paramount that Syria, Iran and Turkey keep their communication channels open. The cooperation between these 3 and Russia can be the game changer in the region.Link: Oct 5th, 2018 by Damas Post (pro-government website)
This meeting marks the first time since the start of the war in Syria when the two sides have sat down with each other reports Damas Post. The Aydinlik Turkish newspaper has revealed that a meeting between security officials from Syria and Turkey was held last week in the Iranian capital Tehran. This is the first meeting of its kind since the seven-year war in Syria began, which resulted in relations being cut between Damascus and Ankara.The Turkish newspaper quoted sources as saying that “the head of the Turkish intelligence, Hakan Fidan, was present,” adding that “the meeting discussed various aspects of the liberation of Idleb province and matters related to the Middle East.”
On Tuesday, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem announced in press statements that Syria was ready to normalize relations with Turkey if it decided to withdraw its forces from Syrian territory.Muallem said: “When Turkey withdraws from Syrian territory, normalizing relations will become a necessity for the future.”Turkey is considered a major player in Syria these days, especially after the Russian-Turkish understanding around the establishment of a demilitarized zone in Idleb.
Damascus views the Turkish presence in the country’s north as an occupation, with many Syrian officials believing there is no legitimacy to this presence and that it will be dealt with as an occupying force, vowing to end it by all available means.
From earlier:
Ended with this:
Another thought that crossed my mind?The Iranian missile strikes coupled with the delivery of the S-300's? Did the combination of these two actions give Israel a moment's pause?