Syria asks Turkey for defence support after sectarian clashes
The defence ministry officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity according to procedures, said that Syria has also sought assistance to combat "terrorist organisations," including the so-called Islamic State (IS) group.
Turkey, which has long expressed readiness to assist Syria, was working towards providing training, advisory services and technical support to help strengthen Syria's defence capacity, the officials added.
Syrian officials could not be immediately reached for comment.
Tensions escalated in southern Syria last week, with violent clashes erupting between Bedouin Arab tribes and Druze militias in Suwayda province.
The conflict triggered Israeli air strikes on convoys of government forces in Suwayda and on the Ministry of Defence headquarters in central Damascus, which Israel justified as efforts to protect Druze communities.
The US envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, announced a US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Syria on 19 July, which allowed the Syrian government forces to go into Suwayda and break up the fighting between the Druze and Bedouins.
An earlier ceasefire between Druze factions and government forces broke down. After a second ceasefire, government forces withdrew from Suwayda, but fighting flared again between Druze and Bedouin groups.
Ankara strongly supports Syria's interim government led by President Ahmad al-Sharaa and has been seeking a defence agreement with Damascus that could reportedly include establishing Turkish military bases on Syrian territory.
In an interview earlier this week with the AP news agency, Barrack said the US has "no position" on the prospect of a defence pact between Syria and Turkey.
"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 also backs an agreement reached between the interim Syrian administration and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to integrate into Syria's national army.
Implementation of the deal has stalled, with a major sticking point being whether the SDF would remain as a cohesive unit in the new army or be dissolved completely.
On Tuesday, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan warned Kurdish and other groups in Syria against exploiting the tensions to pursue autonomy, stating that any attempt to divide Syria would be viewed as a direct threat to Turkey's national security and could prompt an intervention.
Turkey considers the SDF a terrorist organisation because of its association with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which waged a decades-long insurgency in Turkey.
The Turkish officials said Turkey expects the SDF to follow through on its commitments under the agreement, adding that Turkey would be "following" the situation.
The situation in Syria has increased tensions between Turkey and Israel.
In April, Israel struck five cities in Syria, including more than a dozen strikes near a strategic air base in the city of Hama, where Turkey reportedly has interests in having a military presence.
Israel accused Turkey of trying to build a "protectorate" in Syria.
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