Turkey, Syria Avoid Escalation After Israeli Strike on Airbase

Turkey and Syria have opted against retaliating after Israel conducted airstrikes on the Abu al-Duhur airbase in southwestern Syria, near the Turkish border. Syrian officials, speaking anonymously to Haaretz, suggested that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu intentionally provoked the conflict to gain domestic political advantage ahead of the October 2026 elections. Damascus reportedly believes Netanyahu is seeking attention and is attempting to instigate a conflict Syria cannot effectively counter. Syria has been in communication with the United States and France, seeking a security agreement with Israel and aiming to revise the 1974 buffer zone treaty. The Israeli strike targeted runways and storage facilities at the base, resulting in no casualties. The Israeli Prime Minister's office claimed Syria violated a security agreement by allowing Turkish forces to be stationed at Abu al-Duhur and ignored Tel Aviv's warnings. Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani stated that Turkish military officials visited the base for exercises, denying any plans for permanent deployment. Turkey's Defense Ministry refuted Damascus's claims, asserting no Turkish delegation visited Abu al-Duhur before or after the Israeli airstrikes. Turkish sources indicated Ankara's continued support for Syria diplomatically and in defense, while hoping Washington would restrain Israel. These sources suggested Turkey does not view the current situation as an opportunity for political or media gains against Israel. U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack described the Israeli attack as an "unnecessary escalation," noting that Turkey had received a warning. He indicated that a lack of sufficient notice nearly prompted a Turkish response, but Ankara ultimately restrained itself to prevent further escalation. Washington is actively working to establish diplomatic channels between Turkey, Israel, and Syria to avert unintended clashes.

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Damascus believes that through the attack on the airbase in Syria, Netanyahu is seeking attention domestically ahead of the elections in October 2026.