US moves to prevent Türkiye-Israel military clash in Syria

ANKARA

The United States is working to strengthen military communication among Türkiye, Israel and Syria after an Israeli airstrike near the Turkish border raised the risk of an unintended confrontation, U.S. Ambassador to Türkiye and special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack has said.

Barrack said Ankara was not warned before Israel struck the Abu Duhur air base in Syria’s Idlib province on Aug. 18, although Israeli officials had informed the White House.

Türkiye observed Israeli aircraft flying north toward its territory and “could have reasonably prepared its own response,” he told Reuters.

“Thankfully, calm heads were able to prevent the situation from deteriorating further,” Barrack said.

Washington is now working on a stronger deconfliction mechanism among the three countries to prevent similar incidents, he added.

Barrack earlier described the strike, which damaged runways and hangars but caused no casualties, as an “unnecessary escalation that does not advance regional stability.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the attack was intended to prevent Turkish troops from deploying at the base, arguing that such a move would breach a security understanding with Damascus.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani said there were no plans for a Turkish base or permanent military presence at the facility. He acknowledged that Turkish officers had visited the site but said the trip formed part of cooperation on training and military reconstruction.

Türkiye’s Communications Directorate rejected Israel’s account, saying the allegations sought to justify unlawful attacks on Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Some senior U.S. officials believe the strike was partly motivated by Israel’s Oct. 27 election, Axios reported. Washington urged Damascus to show restraint, saying the issue could be addressed more easily after the vote.