Israel strikes Abu al-Duhur airbase in Syria as Damascus denies Turkish base plans

Israel carried out air strikes on the Abu al-Duhur airbase near Aleppo on Tuesday, hitting the runway and storage facilities at the site, according to Syrian state media. The attack came amid rising tensions involving Israel, Syria and Turkiye over military activity in Syria. It was described as Israel's first strike on Syrian government assets since March.

Sponsored

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said there are no plans to establish a Turkish military presence at the airbase. In an interview with Axios, he said Turkish military officials had visited the site as part of training and broader military cooperation, but denied any Turkish build-up. He said the facility was largely empty and that there had been no intention to create a permanent Turkish base or deploy Turkish forces there.

No casualties were reported from the strike, which involved eight air strikes, and the attack drew international condemnation. Al-Shaibani said Israel had no legitimate justification for targeting the facility. He added that Syria remained open to negotiations with Israel on de-escalation, but said any future agreement would need to address the security concerns of both countries.

He also said Israeli military operations would increase regional instability. The strike matters because it comes at a time of worsening security tensions between Israel and Turkiye in Syria, where both countries' militaries are active. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had warned Syria ahead of the strike not to allow a Turkish presence at the base.

Sponsored

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz later accused Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of dragging Turkiye into dangerous adventures in Syria, while saying Israel would not allow any entity to threaten its security. Turkiye has rejected what it called untenable allegations by Israel over its military position in Syria. The exchange highlights how the Syrian conflict continues to involve outside powers even as the front lines have shifted.

It also shows that military sites in Syria remain a point of friction between regional rivals, particularly where training, logistics and possible future deployments are concerned. What remains unclear is whether the Abu al-Duhur site will be used for any future military cooperation and whether the strike will affect any wider talks on de-escalation. It is also not clear how the latest exchange will shape relations between Israel and Turkiye in Syria.

For now, the incident adds to the risk of further cross-border escalation around a base that both sides have linked to security concerns.

#Israel #Syria #AbualDuhurairbase #Turkiye #airstrikes

Sponsored