Israel Strikes Syrian Airbase Near Turkish Border, Then Warns Erdogan Not to 'Test' Its Resolve

Israeli warplanes struck the Abu al-Duhur military airbase in northern Syria on Tuesday, roughly 70 kilometers from the Turkish border. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz followed the strike with a public warning aimed directly at Turkey's president.

"Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is dragging Turkey into dangerous adventures in Syria," Katz wrote, adding that Israel would not "allow any entity to threaten its security" and that Erdogan would be better off curbing his rhetoric than "attempting to test Israel's resolve to defend itself."

Israel's stated justification was that Syria had allowed Turkish troops to deploy at the base, which Israeli officials described as a violation of an unwritten security "status quo" with Damascus. Turkey's defense ministry rejected that account outright, saying no Turkish military personnel were at Abu al-Duhur before or during what it called Israel's "unacceptable" attack, and calling on Israel to stop the strikes.

Syrian officials gave Middle East Eye a similar version of events, saying a Turkish technical team had been sent only to repair the base's runway and control tower, and had left two days before the strike. Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani told Axios there was "no intention to establish a Turkish base there, nor to establish a permanent Turkish military presence or deploy Turkish forces at the site," saying the facility was being rehabilitated for Syria's own air force.

Netanyahu did not dispute that Israel had struck preemptively. "Our message was very clear: Don't. I guess they didn't quite understand the message," he said Wednesday, confirming Israel had warned Damascus in advance against any Turkish presence at the base.

The strike revives friction that Israel and Turkey had tried to manage through a diplomatic hotline set up after talks last year meant to prevent accidental clashes over Syria. Turkish officials told Middle East Eye that Israel did not use that channel before bombing, which they characterized as a deliberate provocation. Unnamed sources in Ankara also said Washington may have given Turkey advance notice of the strike, though this is uncorroborated. Turkey's presidency separately said Israel's actions were tied to Netanyahu's campaign ahead of October's general election, an allegation Israel has not addressed.

US special envoy Tom Barrack told Reuters that Washington is working on a deconfliction mechanism among Israel, Turkey and Syria. A Syrian government source quoted in Israeli media argued the strikes would backfire, pushing Damascus closer to Ankara rather than away from it.