Israel’s attack on an airbase in Syria could have sparked a ‘military confrontation’ with Turkey and Damascus, according to US special envoy Tom Barrack.
On Tuesday night Israel confirmed it had hit the Abu al-Duhur base in Idlib on Monday, claiming it had done so to prevent a planned Turkish deployment to the site.
“Israel and Syria agreed to a status quo in security matters, which Syria was on the verge of breaching by permitting Turkish troops to deploy at an airbase near Aleppo,” read a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
The spokesperson said Israel “repeatedly warned Syria that such a deployment would pose a threat to Israel’s security”.
“Syria chose to ignore these warnings,” the PMO said, adding that Israel “will not tolerate threats to its security, and would welcome a return to the status quo”.
Ankara, however, rejected the Israeli account, saying in a government statement that “the frivolous allegations put forward by the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office aim to legitimise Israel’s unlawful airstrikes targeting Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”.
Tom Barrack, the US ambassador to Turkey and President Trump’s special envoy to Syria, wrote on X that the attack was an “unnecessary escalation that does not advance regional stability”.
In an interview with The Jerusalem Post, he said the airstrikes “carried a real risk of rapid escalation into a direct military confrontation between Israel and Turkey as well as Syria.”
He added: “Turkish forces were not aware that the Israeli aircraft were en route to that specific Syrian base, nor of their intended purpose, and therefore could potentially have been inclined to scramble their own jets in the belief that they themselves were under attack.
“The events of yesterday were serious and worrisome. However, we are relieved that no human life was harmed and that the situation did not escalate.”
Barrack told The Jerusalem Post that there was a lack of clear communication and the situation could have been “much worse”.
Syria said Israel bombed the runway and storage depots at the airbase, which is about 43 miles from the Turkish border, in eight strikes.
According to an Israeli security source cited by the Kan public broadcaster, Israel shared intelligence with the US about Turkish efforts to deploy troops at the base, and that the strikes were carried out only after efforts to resolve the issue through dialogue with Syria failed.
Barrack said Turkey was not warned, “and consequently observed the aircraft heading north toward its territory and therefore could have reasonably prepared its own response”.
“Thankfully, calm heads were able to prevent the situation from deteriorating further,” he told Reuters.
The strikes “reflected a perception – whether accurate or misplaced – that Turkey might in the near future increase its presence at that base,” Barrack went on.
“This underscores the need for a deconfliction mechanism involving Israel, Syria and Turkey. That is something we are actively working on to establish in order to prevent future miscommunication.
“The priority now is to lower tensions and allow space for a more measured approach.”
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