Israel warns Türkiye against military expansion in Syria following airbase strike

Israel has warned Türkiye against expanding Ankara’s military involvement in Syria, days after striking a Syrian airbase it claimed was being prepared for Turkish forces.

West Jerusalem attacked the Abu al-Duhur airbase in northwestern Syria on Tuesday, damaging the facility but causing no reported casualties.

“[Turkish President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan is dragging Turkey into dangerous adventures in Syria,” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz wrote on X on Thursday.

Katz went on to accuse Erdogan of making “empty and delusional” anti-Israel speeches and warned him against testing the country’s determination to defend itself.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Damascus was about to violate a security “status quo” by allowing Turkish troops to deploy there. Syria and Türkiye denied any such deployment was planned.

The rivalry between Israel and Türkiye has increasingly spilled into Syria, where Ankara has emerged as a key backer of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and is helping train and rebuild the country’s armed forces. Israel has opposed a Turkish military foothold, arguing it could threaten its security and restrict its freedom to operate in Syria.

Middle East Eye reported this week, citing Turkish government insiders, that Ankara views the Abu al-Duhur strike as a challenge to its credibility as a regional security partner. It came less than two weeks after Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, under which an attack on one is considered an attack on all three, potentially raising the stakes of any direct military confrontation involving Türkiye.

According to MEE, Israel also did not use its military hotline with Türkiye before the strike, raising the risk of an unintended confrontation.

US Ambassador to Türkiye and Syria envoy Tom Barrack called the attack an “unnecessary escalation” and urged the sides to avoid further military incidents.

Relations between Israel and Türkiye have deteriorated sharply in recent years, particularly over Gaza, with Erdogan repeatedly accusing Netanyahu of genocide and comparing him to Adolf Hitler. Netanyahu has hit back by calling Erdogan an “antisemitic dictator” and accusing him of genocide against the Kurds, with the two trading personal attacks as recently as June.