US Envoy: Israel Gave No Notice Before Airstrike on Syrian Base
Israel launched an airstrike on the Abu Duhur air base in northern Syria on Tuesday, failing to provide advance warning to the United States and narrowly avoiding a direct military confrontation with Turkey, according to U.S. special envoy to Syria Tom Barrack.
U.S. Envoy Details Clash Risks and Lack of Notice
The strike on the Abu Duhur base, located about 50 miles east of the Turkish border, caused damage but resulted in no casualties. Tom Barrack, who serves as both the U.S. special envoy to Syria and ambassador to Turkey, stated that Washington received no prior notice of the operation from its key ally Israel. Barrack characterized the attack as a potential instance of Israel “baiting the Turks” and warned that miscommunication between Israeli military and intelligence branches could have triggered a response from Ankara. “When they see these jets coming towards the border and they don’t know what the purpose, direction or intention is, they start to say, ‘We’re going to have to scramble our own,'” Barrack said, noting the historical precedent of Turkey shooting down a Russian jet over the Syrian frontier in 2015.
Israeli Defense Ministry and Prime Minister Office Responses
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz directly contradicted the U.S. envoy’s account, asserting in a formal statement that Israel transferred intelligence reports to relevant U.S. authorities and elected to alert senior members of the Syrian government simultaneously. Katz maintained that the strike was authorized only after a warning went unheeded, citing clear intelligence reports indicating Turkey intended to use the facility to harm Israel. Meanwhile, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended the operation by claiming that Syria was on the verge of breaching an existing agreement by permitting Turkish troops to deploy to the airfield.
Syrian Officials and Regional Military Cooperation
Two anonymous Syrian officials confirmed that a Turkish delegation had visited the air base in the northwestern province of Idlib a day prior to the airstrike to inspect ongoing reconstruction work. Turkey has maintained an active role in rebuilding Syrian armed forces through logistics support, equipment supply, and training under a bilateral military cooperation agreement signed last year. While Turkish officials emphasize that Ankara does not view Syrian security as separate from its own, the interim government in Damascus, led by President Ahmad al-Sharaa, has repeatedly stated that it seeks to avoid armed conflict with Israel.
