The intensifying war with Iran and the naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz are sharpening the global need for overland supply routes. However, it appears that some are seeking to exploit the instability to push Israel aside.
Turkey and Syria are jointly working to establish an alternative trade route linking India and the Gulf to Europe-without passing through the Israeli ports in Haifa and Ashdod.
The India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), announced during the era of Joe Biden, was intended to serve as a modern “Silk Road." The original plan envisioned goods moving from India to ports in the UAE, then by rail through Saudi Arabia and Jordan directly to Israeli ports, and from there onward to Europe. This project has been considered a central economic pillar on the path toward normalization of ties with Saudi Arabia.
Now, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, together with the Syrian leadership under Ahmad al-Sharaa, appear to be seizing an opportunity. With the war in Iran having a relatively limited impact on them, the two countries are advancing a bypass route: a railway linking Saudi Arabia to Syria via Jordan, alongside plans to lay a network of oil pipelines from northeastern Saudi Arabia directly to Syrian ports on the Mediterranean-also serving Turkey’s energy needs.
If realized, the plan could position Syria as the primary “gateway to the sea" for Gulf states, replacing Israel and potentially leading to losses of billions of dollars for the Israeli economy in the coming decades.