Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that Israel has made it clear to Turkey that it cannot establish a military base in Syria.
In a radio interview, Netanyahu indirectly acknowledged that the Israeli military bombed the Abu al-Duhur airbase near Aleppo on Tuesday. The airfield sits approximately 70 kilometres from the border between Syria and Turkey.
Netanyahu stated that Israel would not tolerate any southward deployment of Turkish military forces, describing such a move as a threat to Israeli national security. He noted that Israel had previously sent a message opposing Turkish troop presence at the airfield near Aleppo, adding that when those warnings were ignored, Israeli forces ensured the position was made clear.
Warning over military presence
A statement issued on Tuesday by the Israeli prime minister office said Israel had repeatedly warned Syria that allowing Turkish troops onto its territory would create a security threat. The statement added that Damascus had ignored those repeated warnings.
General Eyal Zamir, the chief of the general staff of national defense of Israel, reinforced the government position. Zamir warned that the Israeli army will not permit hostile forces to establish positions along the Syrian border.
Aleppo is one of Syria's largest cities, located in the northern part of the country near the Turkish border, making the region a focal point for regional security concerns. Strategic tension in the area has escalated significantly since December 2024, when an alliance of Islamists overthrew the regime of Bashar al-Assad.
Since the fall of the Assad government, Israel has launched hundreds of air strikes against targets in Syria. Israel also deployed military forces into a United Nations monitored buffer zone on the Golan Heights that previously separated Israeli and Syrian troops. Israeli officials described the deployment as a security zone and stated Israel has no intention of withdrawing from the area.
Diplomatic fallout and US reaction
Turkey, which has maintained strained diplomatic relations with Israel for several years, denied that it was planning to deploy military troops inside Syria.
The strike drew criticism from Washington. Tom Barrack, the United States ambassador to Turkey and White House special envoy to Syria, condemned the air attacks and accused Israel of carrying out an unnecessary escalation.
