Israel Strikes Syrian Air Base to Block Turkish Deployment

Israel struck an air base in northwest Syria early Tuesday, saying the attack was meant to prevent Turkish troops from deploying there, as tensions between the two regional rivals over influence in Syria continue to rise.

Eight strikes hit the runway of the Abu Duhur air base in Idlib province, causing damage but no casualties, Syrian state TV reported. Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani condemned the "Israeli aggression," calling it "an unjustified provocation, a violation of Syria's sovereignty, and a direct threat to regional and global stability."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Syria had been "on the verge of breaching" an agreed-upon security status quo by allowing Turkish forces to deploy at the base. "Israel repeatedly warned Syria that such a deployment would pose a threat to Israel's security. Syria chose to ignore these warnings," the statement said.

Turkey's Foreign Ministry condemned the strikes and urged "the international community to take a more decisive stance to end Israel's escalating aggression against Syria."

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said foreign fighters had previously stayed at the base before being asked to leave recently, and that Turkey — a main backer of Syria's government — had been rehabilitating the long-inactive facility.

Tom Barrack, the U.S. ambassador to Turkey and special envoy to Syria, said Washington was "deeply concerned" the strikes constituted "an unnecessary escalation that does not advance regional stability." He said Syria's interim president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, had not "adopted a predatory posture nor maintained proxy forces" and had signaled a preference for de-escalation with Israel. Qatar, Egypt and Saudi Arabia also condemned the strikes.

Since the fall of Bashar Assad's government in December 2024, Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes across Syria, mostly targeting military assets, and has occupied a U.N.-patrolled buffer zone in the south. Israeli drone strikes near Damascus last year killed eight soldiers. U.S.-mediated talks aimed at an Israel-Syria security agreement have continued for more than a year without a deal.