US Ambassador Barrack: 'Israelis Provoked the Turks'

US Ambassador to Ankara and Special Representative for Syria and Iraq Tom Barrack evaluated Israel's attacks on Abu Zuhur Air Base in Syria. Barrack stated that Israel's attitude was dangerous and could provoke the Turks.

Evaluating the possible causes of the crisis in his interview with Mario Nawfal, Barrack said, "Let me tell you the theories on the table. The first was that the Israelis provoked the Turks. If you remember, the Turks shot down a Russian jet under similar circumstances. Deploying warplanes on the border without notice and without an agreement is a very dangerous game." he said.

Emphasizing that the Turkish army and intelligence are strong, Barrack stated that Türkiye avoids escalating tensions and state institutions display a moderate approach. Drawing attention to the capacity of the Turkish army and intelligence agency, Barrack said, "The Turkish army is very good, they are very strong and so is their intelligence. However, the Turks are focused on caution with all their institutions. They are not interested in entering into a hostile conflict with Israel." he said.

Barrack stated that Türkiye's influence in the region is gradually increasing and said, "Turkey is entering a new and powerful era that makes everyone uneasy, but this is a great thing for Türkiye." made his assessment.

Barrack said that another possible reason for the incident could be a communication gap in the decision-making mechanism in Israel, and stated that there may have been a coordination problem between the Israeli army, Mossad and the Prime Minister's Office. He stated that while the Mossad Director was holding a conversation via the back channel, another commander may have decided to take action based on a different intelligence assessment.

Barrack stated that the decision taken in this process was "no lethal intervention, no death, no injury; we will only eliminate the fugitives."

"Thankfully, people with more common sense stepped in at the critical moment of that day and we resolved the issue." he said.