Israel struck the Abu al-Duhur airbase in Syria on Tuesday morning, and the fallout moved quickly. By Wednesday, Turkey had publicly accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of pursuing expansionist goals, and the United States had expressed concern over the strike.
Netanyahu's office confirmed responsibility for the attack the day after it occurred, saying Syria was on the verge of violating a security agreement by allowing Turkish troops to deploy from the base, which is located near Aleppo.
"Israel repeatedly warned Syria that such a deployment would pose a threat to Israel's security," Netanyahu's office said Tuesday night. "Syria chose to ignore these warnings. Israel will not tolerate threats to its security, and would welcome a return to the status quo."
Turkey called those claims untenable. In a social media post, Turkey's government said the allegations were intended to justify what it described as unlawful strikes against Syria's sovereignty.
"The imputations voiced stem from Netanyahu's intent to pursue expansionist and destabilizing policies in the region ahead of the elections in Israel," the statement said. It added that the path to lasting peace in the region requires Netanyahu to abandon what Turkey called aggressive and coercive policies and respect international law.
"Türkiye will resolutely continue to cooperate with the Syrian Government on a legitimate basis for the establishment of peace, stability, and prosperity in Syria, and will never allow the destabilization of Syria," the statement concluded.
The strike caused damage but no casualties. It also drew criticism from U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack, even though a senior Israeli official told Fox News that highly sensitive intelligence was shared with the United States before the attack.
"We are deeply concerned that the confirmed Israeli airstrikes on Abu al-Duhur Airbase constitute an unnecessary escalation that does not advance regional stability," Barrack said in a post on X. He added that Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has not adopted a predatory posture and has repeatedly indicated a preference for de-escalation with Israel.
Barrack, who also serves as the U.S. special envoy for Syria, said he is working to establish a deconfliction mechanism to reduce tensions among Israel, Turkey, and Syria.
Al-Sharaa, formerly the head of al Qaeda's affiliate group in Syria, became the country's new leader in January 2025 after leading rebel forces that removed Bashar al-Assad from power. President Donald Trump has expressed support for al-Sharaa's government.
No timeline has been set for the deconfliction talks.
