Türkiye condemns Israeli strikes on Syrian air base

ANKARA

Türkiye on Aug. 18 strongly condemned Israeli airstrikes on a Syrian military airbase in Idlib province, accusing Israel of undermining Syria’s territorial integrity and unity.

The Foreign Ministry issued the statement after the strikes on the Abu Duhur airbase, calling on the international community to take a more resolute stance to halt what it described as Israel’s escalating aggression against Syria.

“The international community must... ensure accountability for these actions, which disregard international law,” the ministry said.

The Turkish government also rejected Israeli claims that “Syria was on the verge of violating an agreement by allowing Turkish troops to deploy at an airbase near Aleppo.”

“The frivolous allegations put forward by the Israeli Prime Minister’s office aim to legitimize Israel’s unlawful airstrikes targeting Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the Communications Directorate said on Aug. 18 in remarks quoted by the state-run Anadolu Agency.

U.S. envoy for Syria Tom Barrack said on Aug. 18 the Israeli attacks “constitute an unnecessary escalation that does not advance regional stability.”

“We encourage all parties to prioritise logical discourse over further military incidents,” Barrack, a business friend of President Donald Trump who is also ambassador to Türkiye, wrote on X.

Meanwhile, the Foreign Ministry marked World Humanitarian Day on Aug. 19 by stressing the importance of protecting aid workers, particularly amid the worsening crisis in Gaza.

“The deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza demonstrates how critical the values represented by World Humanitarian Day, the responsibility to save lives and the obligation to protect humanitarian workers and civilians are,” it said.

“We will continue to work with determination to ensure humanitarian assistance reaches those in need in Gaza and other parts of the world.”