Türkiye on Wednesday rejected Israel’s justification for striking a Syrian airbase near its border, calling the claims “untenable” as tensions between the two countries rise over Syria.
The response came a day after Israeli warplanes struck the Abu Duhur military airbase in Syria’s north-western Idlib province.
According to Syrian state media, eight strikes targeted the runway and storage facilities, causing material damage but no casualties.
Israel said it carried out the attack because Syria was on the verge of violating what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office described as a security “status quo” by allowing Turkish troops to deploy at the airbase.
Netanyahu’s office also said Israel had repeatedly warned Damascus that such a deployment would pose a threat to Israeli security.
On Wednesday, the Turkish presidency rejected the claims, saying they were aimed at legitimising Israeli attacks on Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
“Türkiye will resolutely continue to cooperate with the Syrian government on a legitimate basis for the establishment of peace, stability, and prosperity in Syria,” it said.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry had earlier condemned the attack “in the strongest terms,” accusing Israel of recklessly targeting Syrian infrastructure and calling for a robust international response.
The strike has highlighted growing tensions between Israel and Türkiye over Syria following the overthrow of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in late 2024.
Since then, Ankara has emerged as a major supporter of Syria’s post-Assad government, helping train Syrian security forces and rebuild state institutions after years of conflict.
Washington also criticised the Israeli attack on the airbase.
Tom Barrack, the U.S. ambassador to Türkiye and special envoy for Syria, called it an “unnecessary escalation,” adding that Washington was working to establish a “deconfliction mechanism” involving Türkiye, Israel, and Syria.
Barrack said Türkiye had received no advance warning and had seen Israeli aircraft heading north towards its territory, raising the possibility of a Turkish military response.
“Thankfully, calm heads were able to prevent the situation from deteriorating further,” he said.
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani also condemned the strikes as an “unjustified provocation” and a violation of Syria’s sovereignty.
In the 18 months since Assad’s departure, Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes across Syria and has taken control ofa UN-patrolled buffer zone in the country’s south-west.
U.S.-brokered security talks between Israel and Syria have so far failed to produce an agreement.
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