Israel-Turkey Tensions Escalate Over Ankara's Growing Military Role in Syria
Turkey condemned Israel's strike on a Syrian air base and vowed continued military support for Damascus, as Israeli officials warned Ankara against establishing a presence in the country and the U.S. sought to avert a direct confrontation
Israel on Wednesday escalated its warnings against Turkey over Ankara's growing military role in Syria, after an Israeli strike on a Syrian airbase raised fears in Washington of a possible confrontation between the two U.S. partners.
Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan against deploying forces in Syria, saying Israel would defend itself against threats posed by Ankara's activities there.
"Erdoğan is dragging Turkey into dangerous adventures in Syria," Katz wrote on X. "Israel will not allow any entity to threaten its security."
Katz added that Erdoğan should "continue delivering empty, delusional speeches against Israel in the Turkish parliament rather than testing Israel's resolve to defend itself."
The warning came a day after Israeli aircraft struck Syria's Abu al-Duhur airbase in northern Syria, shortly after a Turkish delegation visited the facility. Israel said Syria was close to violating existing security understandings with Jerusalem by allowing Turkish forces to establish a presence there.
Israel has also raised concerns over Ankara's broader military footprint in Syria, including weapons transfers, drones and support for rebuilding the country's armed forces.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had repeatedly warned Syria that allowing Turkish forces to deploy at the airbase would threaten Israeli security.
The strike is the latest flashpoint between Israel and Turkey, whose relations have deteriorated amid Ankara's support for Syria's new leadership and its growing influence in the country following the fall of Bashar al-Assad.
U.S. warns of escalation
U.S. special envoy to Syria Tom Barrack warned that the strike could have escalated into adirect military confrontation with Turkey.
Barrack said Turkish forces at the base were unaware that Israeli aircraft were approaching and could have scrambled their jets if they believed they were under attack.
He described reliable communication between the sides as essential, warning that the absence of such channels could turn a localized incident into a broader crisis. Washington is now working to establish a deconfliction mechanism between Israel, Turkey and Syria aimed at preventing such incidents from escalating.
Mossad chief raised Turkey issue with Syrian foreign minister
The Israeli strike came days after Mossad chief Roman Gofman spoke by phone with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani about Turkey's military role in Syria, three people familiar with the matter told Reuters.
The August 14 conversation, among the highest-level contacts between Israel and Syria's new government, focused on Israeli concerns over Turkish military activity, including arms transfers, drones and other support for Syria's armed forces.
Neither the Israeli Prime Minister's Office, which handles inquiries regarding Mossad, nor the Syrian government immediately commented on the call.
Syria denies plans for Turkish base
Al-Shaibani said Wednesday that Syria had made clear to Israel that it had no plans to establish a Turkish military base at Abu al-Duhur.
In an interview with Axios, he said the facility was being rehabilitated for use by the Syrian Air Force and that Turkish military officers had visited only as part of training and broader military cooperation.
"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," al-Shaibani said.
He said the airbase was largely empty and not yet operational.
Netanyahu, however, said Israel had warned Syria against allowing a Turkish presence at the base.
"Our message was very clear. Don't. I guess they didn't quite understand the message," Netanyahu said in a video posted on X.רה טובה יותר
"We saw that Turkey intends to establish a presence at an airport south of its line near Aleppo, and we conveyed a message," he said. "The message got through, but apparently they didn't hear it well enough, so we made sure they understood it better," he added, referring to the strike.
The Turkish presidency rejected what it called Israel's "untenable allegations," accusing Israel of using them to justify attacks that violated Syrian sovereignty.
The Prime Minister's Office: Israel and Syria agreed to a status quo in security matters, which Syria was on the verge of breaching by permitting Turkish troops to deploy at an airbase near Aleppo. Israel repeatedly warned Syria that such a deployment would pose a threat to
Show moreTurkey's Defense Ministry also condemned the strike, saying that the perception that Israeli military interventions against neighboring countries are "routine and acceptable" must not be allowed to take hold. It called on the international community to take "more concrete and effective measures" against Israeli actions it said threaten regional peace and stability.
The ministry denied reports that a Turkish military delegation had visited Abu al-Duhur before the Israeli strike. It said Ankara would continue its efforts to protect Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity and would "continue to support Syria's efforts to develop its own military capability and infrastructure."
Turkey said its cooperation with the Syrian government would continue "on a legitimate basis" to promote peace, stability and prosperity.
Al-Shaibani said Israel had no legitimate justification for the strike and that Syria remained open to negotiations on de-escalation. He said the two sides had made progress toward a security agreement during a year of U.S.-mediated talks, but warned that continued Israeli operations would increase regional instability.
IDF vows to prevent threats along border
IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir toured Israeli-held territory in southern Syria on Wednesday and said the army "will not allow enemy forces to consolidate a presence on our borders."
Zamir said the IDF must prevent "terrorist threats" and "the emergence of a significant military threat on our borders."