Syria FM claims Israel was told that Turkey was not building forces before airbase strikes - report
Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
At a glance
- Syria informed Israel that Turkey was not building forces at the Abu al-Duhur airbase before recent Israeli strikes, according to Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani.
- Shaibani claimed the airbase was largely empty and denied any Turkish military presence, calling the Israeli strike an unjustified act of aggression.
- US President Donald Trump confirmed he was briefed on the strikes but declined to specify when, while Turkey and Syria condemned the Israeli attack.
Syria had informed Israel that it was not collaborating with Turkey to establish a military presence at the Abu al-Duhur airbase prior to recent Israeli strikes, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani told Axios. He asserted that there was no intention to create a Turkish base or deploy forces at the site.
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.
Shaibani further claimed the airbase was "largely empty" at the time of the strikes, and that linking the attack to a Turkish military presence was unfounded. Syria's Foreign Ministry condemned the Israeli airstrikes as an "unjustified act of aggression" and a "flagrant violation of Syriaโs sovereignty."
linking the strike to a Turkish military presence at the base is not supported by the situation on the ground as it stood at the time.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump acknowledged being briefed on the Israeli strikes but remained non-committal about the timing. Turkey also condemned the attack, with its presidency accusing Israel of pursuing "expansionist and destabilizing policies" ahead of elections. These events follow reports of a high-level contact between Israel's Mossad and the new Syrian government regarding Turkey's military presence.
I can't talk about it.
Originally published by Jerusalem Post. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.