Turkey has emerged as one of the most influential power brokers in Syria after rebels toppled Bashar al-Assad last month, ending his family's brutal five-decade rule.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called for an inclusive transition in Syria after the fall of leader Bashar al-Assad, in a call with powerbroker Turkey, the State Department said Thursday.

Turkey's pro-Kurdish DEM Party said it will send a delegation to meet Abdullah Ocalan, head of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), in jail on Wednesday for a second time as part of a political effort to end a decades-long conflict.

Assad, Turkey has become a vital power broker in Syria, with significant diplomatic, economic, and military influence. The country aims to leverage this to strengthen trade, cooperation, and address national security concerns related to Kurdish groups along its border.

No country has as much to gain from a stable Syria as Turkey, and few have as much to lose if it implodes. Turkey is home to more than 3m Syrian refugees, and wants Syria to be safe enough for many to return.

As it became increasingly clear that Syrians were not imminently leaving Turkey, the Turkish government formalized the Temporary Protection Regulation in 2014. It allowed Syrian nationals access to the Turkish education and health care systems and laid the groundwork for them to pursue employment if they could secure work permits.

It is not an exaggeration to say that Turkish expansion poses an existential threat to the NATO alliance as it now stands. Over the last couple of years, Turkey and the United States have been perilously close to direct conflict in Syria on several occasions.

Commercial flights between Turkey and Syria resumed Thursday after 13 years, with a Turkish Airlines flight from Istanbul to Damascus.

President Tayyip Erdogan warned on Wednesday that Turkey had the power and ability to "crush" all terrorists in Syria, including Islamic State and Kurdish militants, while urging all countries to "take their hands off" Syria.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Friday that the new Syrian administration should be given an opportunity to address the presence of Kurdish militants in the country, and reiterated that the Turkish military would act if it did not.

Turkey is allowing one adult per Syrian family to return after visiting their homeland, but experts warn that easing restrictions may not lead to significant refugee returns amid ongoing uncertainties in Syria.

TEHRAN, Jan. 20 (MNA) – Turkish consulate resumed its activities in Syria’s Aleppo after 13 years of hiatus. The Turkish Embassy in Damascus also started its activity two months ago concurrent with the fall of former President Bashar al-Assad’s government.