Netanyahu: Israeli Airstrike on Syria Was Warning to Turkey

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that the Israeli military's recent airstrike on a Syrian military airport was a direct warning to Turkey. He asserted that Israel would not tolerate Turkey's military presence expanding southward in Syria, as it poses a threat.

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We will not tolerate the expansion of Turkish military presence southward. It is a threat to us.

Speaking on Israel Army Radio, Netanyahu explained that while Israel had conveyed its message regarding Turkish military activity in Syria through conventional channels, it appeared those messages were not heeded. Consequently, Israel took action to ensure clearer understanding. He directly addressed Turkey, urging them in English to "Don't" continue their military activities in Syria.

The airstrike, which involved Israeli fighter jets bombing the Abu Duhur airbase in Syria's Idlib province eight times, marked the first such operation by Israel into Syrian territory since March. Israel maintains that Turkey was attempting to establish a military presence at the targeted airport.

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Don't

According to Reuters, citing three sources, the new head of Israel's foreign intelligence agency, Mossad, Roman Gofman, discussed the issue of Turkish troop presence in Syria with Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad on March 14. Following the bombing, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office issued a statement reiterating that Israel had repeatedly warned Syria that Turkey's military deployments constituted a threat to Israeli security, but these warnings were disregarded.

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unjustifiable act of aggression

Syria's government condemned the Israeli bombing as an "unjustifiable act of aggression" and called for intervention from the United Nations Security Council. Tom Barrett, the U.S. Special Envoy for Syria, also commented on X (formerly Twitter), stating that the Israeli airstrike on the Abu Duhur airbase did not contribute to regional stability and unnecessarily escalated tensions. He urged all parties to prioritize dialogue over further military confrontation.

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unnecessary escalation of tensions that does not contribute to regional stability