Amidst the region’s turmoil following failed talks between Iran and the United States, information has come in that Israel attacked a Syrian air base near Idlib on Tuesday. The attack prompted fierce criticism from the Trump administration.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu broke several hours of silence to acknowledge Israel’s attack on a military airport in northwestern Syria, which the United States had earlier condemned as an “unnecessary escalation.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel attacked the base because it claimed the Turkish military’s deployment to the facility near Aleppo was imminent. He said that although Israel and Syria do not have formal relations, they are holding talks under the auspices of the Trump administration and that there is a “status quo on security issues.”
In a statement on X, he said Syria was putting the agreement at risk with the possible deployment of Turkish troops to the Abu al-Duhr base.
“Israel has repeatedly warned Syria that such a deployment poses a threat to Israel’s security,” Netanyahu said. “Israel will not tolerate threats to its security and will welcome a return to the status quo.”
Prime Minister Netanyahu has openly criticized President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has had a long-running public feud with Turkey. Netanyahu has accused Erdogan of supporting Hamas and opposed the sale of American F-35 fighter jets to Ankara, while Turkish officials have called Israel “a burden that humanity can no longer bear.”
Earlier on Tuesday, after reports of an airstrike targeting Abu al-Dhuhr military airport emerged, US Special Envoy Tom Barrack said: “We are deeply concerned that the confirmed Israeli airstrike on Abu al-Dhuhr Air Base represents an unnecessary escalation that does not promote stability in the region.”
He added that the US government “encourages all parties to prioritize ‘logical arguments’ over further military incidents.”
