Israel took responsibility on Tuesday night for airstrikes on Abu al-Duhur airbase in Syria, saying the target was hit after Syria was on the verge of breaching a security agreement by allowing Turkish troops to deploy from the site. The strike damaged the airbase but caused no casualties.
The airbase, near Aleppo, was hit on Tuesday morning, setting off an immediate diplomatic fight over what Israel said was a security threat and what Turkey called an unlawful attack on Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Israel said it had repeatedly warned that such a deployment would endanger its security and would not be tolerated.
Turkey rejected that explanation on Wednesday, calling the allegations untenable and saying they were meant to justify Israel’s airstrikes. Ankara also said the accusations reflected Benjamin Netanyahu’s push for expansionist and destabilizing policies ahead of elections in Israel, while saying it would continue to cooperate with the Syrian Government on a legitimate basis for peace, stability and prosperity in Syria.
The strike lands in a broader dispute over Turkish involvement in Syria and Israel’s concerns about military moves near its border. The airbase had already drawn attention in 2024, when decommissioned Syrian air force planes were seen there after the area changed hands, a reminder that the site has long sat inside Syria’s shifting security map.
Tom Barrack said the confirmed airstrikes on Abu al-Duhur airbase were an unnecessary escalation that did not advance regional stability, and added that Ahmed al-Sharaa has repeatedly indicated a preference for de-escalation with Israel. Barrack said he is working to establish a deconfliction mechanism to ease tensions between Israel, Turkey and Syria, but the unresolved question remains what exact Turkish deployment Israel says it was trying to stop.
