US criticises Israel over 'unnecessary escalation' after strikes on Syrian airbase
The US has called Israel's airstrikes on Syria's Abu Duhur airbase an unnecessary escalation, as Turkey and Syria condemned the attack, while Israel says it acted to stop Turkish troops deploying there.
The United States has criticised Israel for carrying out airstrikes on a Syrian military base near the Turkish border, calling the action an "unnecessary escalation." Syrian state television reported that eight strikes hit the runway and storage facilities at Abu Duhur airbase on Tuesday. No casualties were reported.
Tom Barrack, Donald Trump's special envoy for Syria and Iraq who also serves as US ambassador to Turkey, voiced deep concern over the confirmed strikes in a post on social media, saying they did not advance regional stability.
Both Damascus and Ankara blamed the Israeli military for the attack, warning it risked raising tensions across the region.
Israel's justification
A statement from the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the strike was carried out because Syria had been on the verge of breaching an agreed security status quo by allowing Turkish troops to deploy at the base. Israel said it had repeatedly warned Syria that such a deployment would threaten its security, but the warnings were ignored.
Syria's foreign ministry condemned the strikes as an unjustified act of aggression that threatened regional security and stability. Ankara did not confirm whether Turkish forces had actually been deployed at the base, located roughly 70 kilometres from the Turkish border, but rejected Israel's claims that Turkey posed a security threat, calling them an attempt to legitimise unlawful strikes on Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Qatar, Egypt and Saudi Arabia were among the regional countries that also condemned the strikes.
Background of rising tensions
Tensions between Israel and Turkey over Syria have escalated since the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime in December 2024, when insurgent forces took control of Damascus. Since then, Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes across Syria, mostly targeting former Syrian military assets to keep them out of the hands of the new authorities. Israeli forces have also taken control of a UN-patrolled buffer zone in southern Syria, where they remain deployed.
Syria's new leadership has said it does not seek conflict with Israel, though Israel remains wary of the government led by former Islamist insurgents. US-mediated talks between Israel and Syria on a potential security agreement have continued for more than a year without producing a deal.
