Israeli raids targeting the Abu Al-Duhur air base near Aleppo, on Tuesday, sparked a new political confrontation between Israel and Turkey, after Benjamin Netanyahu's government justified the attack with the possibility of deploying Turkish forces at the base, while the Turkish Ministry of Defense denied, on Thursday, the presence of any forces at the airport, and also denied the presence of a Turkish military delegation there before or during the strikes.
In a rare criticism of Israel, Washington considered the strikes an “unnecessary escalation,” and revealed efforts to create a mechanism to prevent military friction between Israel, Turkey, and Syria.
The official Syrian Al-Ikhbariya channel said, citing a military source, that Israel carried out eight raids on Tuesday targeting the runway of Abu Al-Duhur Air Base and its storage facilities.
The raids did not result in human casualties, according to another military source and a civilian residing near the site, while the Israeli army declined to comment.
The base is located in northwestern Syria, about 70 kilometers east of the Turkish border. It has been out of service as a designated military airport since 2013, after control changed hands several times during the 14-year Syrian war.
Agence France-Presse quoted a security source as saying that the base had been out of service since 2012 and was under the protection of the Syrian Ministry of Defense. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that the raids came after a Turkish military delegation visited the site during the previous days, as part of efforts to restore it to operation.
However, an official in the Turkish Ministry of Defense denied on Thursday the presence of any Turkish military delegation at the airport before or during the attack.
The attack appears to be the first to target Syrian government facilities since March, and it occurred far from the area that Israel says it maintains as a security zone in southern Syria.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that Israel had sent a “clear” message to Türkiye that it should not establish military bases in Syria.
Netanyahu's office had previously said that Syria was on the verge of disrupting a "status quo agreed upon with Israel on security matters" by allowing Turkish forces to deploy at the base.
The office added that Israel repeatedly warned Damascus that such a deployment would threaten its security, but it ignored those warnings, stressing that Israel “will not tolerate threats to its security,” but it welcomes a return to the previous situation.
Israel did not officially claim responsibility for the raids, but Netanyahu's statements on Wednesday regarding sending a "clear message" to Türkiye not to establish military bases in Syria carried an implicit acknowledgment of the attack.
The US special envoy to Syria and Iraq, Tom Barrack, said that the attack reflected an Israeli perception, “whether accurate or wrong,” that Türkiye may increase its presence in Abu al-Duhur during the coming period.
The Israeli statements come even though the security talks between Syria and Israel have not yet resulted in an agreement. Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa said in July that his country was seeking to reach a security agreement with Israel, while Barak confirmed that the two sides held several rounds of talks on reducing escalation and borders without reaching a final understanding.
On Thursday, the Turkish Ministry of Defense denied the presence of any Turkish forces at Abu Al-Duhur Airport, and also denied the presence of a Turkish military delegation there before or during the raids.
An official in the Turkish Ministry of Defense told reporters, requesting that his name not be revealed: “We confirm that no Turkish military delegation was present at Abu Al-Duhur Airport before or during the attack launched by Israel on this base in Syria.”
Ministry spokesman Zeki Akturk said that the attacks on the airport “target the stability, security, unity and territorial integrity of Syria,” stressing that Ankara will continue its efforts “to protect Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
On Wednesday, the Turkish presidency rejected what it described as “indefensible allegations” issued by Netanyahu’s office, and said that they aimed to legitimize illegal raids targeting Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
She added that these accusations stem from Netanyahu's desire to continue "expansive and destabilizing policies" ahead of the Israeli elections, considering that lasting peace in the region requires Israel to respect international law and abandon its "aggressive and coercive policies."
Türkiye, which has the second largest army in NATO, has become one of the most prominent allies of President Ahmed al-Sharaa. Ankara trains the Syrian army, helps rebuild state institutions and infrastructure, as well as provides military and diplomatic support.
Türkiye accuses Israel of seeking to undermine the new Syrian administration and destabilize the country. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on August 6 that the repeated Israeli attacks still threaten the security of Syria, calling for international pressure to be exerted on Israel to respect the territorial integrity of Syria.
US envoy Tom Barrack described the raids as an “unnecessary escalation” that does not contribute to achieving regional stability, calling on the parties to exercise restraint and prioritize dialogue over further military moves.
Barak said that Türkiye had not received advance warning about the strikes, and that it had detected the Israeli planes heading north towards its territory, which could have reasonably prompted it to prepare for a possible military response.
He added that "acting wisely" prevented the situation from deteriorating, noting that Washington's priority had become reducing tension and making room for a more deliberate approach.
Barak revealed that the United States is working to establish a mechanism to prevent friction that includes Israel, Turkey, and Syria, with the aim of avoiding misunderstandings or accidental confrontations between the military and political parties.
He explained that Washington is already facilitating the exchange of information and dialogue between them (the concerned parties), but what is required is to build a more powerful mechanism and allocate greater resources to it, considering that investing in communication channels is less expensive than relying on military force.
Last year, Türkiye and Israel established a communication channel to avoid incidents between their forces in Syria. However, the recent raids showed the limitations of the existing arrangements, especially since Ankara was not informed of the attack in advance.
The American website Axios reported, quoting the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Syrian transitional government, Asaad Al-Shaibani, that Damascus tried to reach an agreement with Israel to reduce the escalation, but Israel backed down from its commitments, stressing that Syria had not closed the door to negotiations, according to the same source.
Al-Shaibani explained, in statements to Axios today, that his country is still interested in reaching an agreement with Israel that contributes to reducing the escalation, calling on the Israeli government to re-evaluate its policy towards Syria.
Israel says that it views the new rulers in Damascus with suspicion because of their armed Islamic roots, and that it will not accept an armed Islamic presence near its borders, despite President al-Sharaa’s close relations with Western countries.
