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Airstrikes hit Abu al-Duhur
Four airstrikes targeted the runway of Abu al-Duhur Military Airport in eastern Idlib Governorate, northern Syria, with Al Jazeera reporting that confirmed information indicates the strikes hit the airport runway, causing material damage but no injuries.
“four airstrikes targeting the runway of Abu al-Duhur Military Airport”
Gulf News said four airstrikes hit the Abu al-Zuhour military airport in the eastern countryside of Idlib on Tuesday, marking the first reported attack on the strategic facility since the fall of Bashar al-Assad's government in December 2024, and it reported no immediate reports of casualties or the extent of damage at the base.
Al Jazeera’s correspondent Amro Halabi said information was still scarce with official silence regarding comment on the bombing incident, while Suhaib Al-Khalaf said the identity of the aircraft remains unknown and that planes entered Syrian airspace from Lebanese airspace before carrying out strikes on the airport’s outskirts east of Idlib.
Gulf News added that Abu al-Zuhour, also known as Abu al-Duhur, has long been strategically important for monitoring military movements across northern Syria, and it said the airport had not been targeted since the fall of the al-Assad regime in December 2024.
Al Jazeera also said this was the first time the airport has been targeted since the ousted president Bashar al-Assad’s regime fell, and it described the airport as having suffered extensive destruction during the Syrian uprising and not being activated again due to substantial damage to its facilities.
Israel, Turkey dispute escalation
Israel National News said Arab media reports four airstrikes early Tuesday morning targeting the runway of the Abu al-Duhur military airport in the eastern Idlib countryside in northern Syria, and it reported that the aircraft that carried out the strikes have not been identified while some sources cited by Al Jazeera said they may have been Israeli aircraft.
In response, Le Monde reported that Israel accused Damascus of violating an agreement by allowing Turkish troops to be stationed at a base in northwestern Syria, and Netanyahu’s office said, "Israel has repeatedly warned Syria that such a deployment would threaten Israel’s security."
Turkey rejected the accusation, with Le Monde reporting that Turkey’s government denied any plan to deploy troops in Syria and said, "The baseless allegations put forward by the Israeli prime minister’s cabinet aim to legitimate Israel’s illegal airstrikes."
Boursorama reported that the United States attributed the strike to its Israeli ally and condemned it, while the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, "Israel has repeatedly warned Syria that such a deployment would constitute a threat to Israel’s security."
Le Parisien reported that Syrian state television said Israeli aircraft targeted early in the morning "the runway" of the Abu Dhouhour base with eight strikes, causing material damage but no casualties, and it said Washington called the attack an "unnecessary escalation".
U.S. envoy warns of clash
i24NEWS reported that Tom Barrack warned there was a real risk of a direct military confrontation between Israel and Turkey after Israeli strikes against the Abou al-Duhur air base, explaining that Turkish forces had not been informed of the arrival of Israeli aircraft or their target.
“"They could have decided to scramble their own fighters, thinking they were under attack themselves"”
Barrack said, "They could have decided to scramble their own fighters, thinking they were under attack themselves," and i24NEWS said he was relieved that no lives were lost and that the situation did not deteriorate.
Boursorama said the United States nevertheless attributed the strike to its Israeli ally and condemned it, while it also reported that Ankara denied any plan to deploy troops in Syria and called the Israeli claims unfounded.
Le Parisien reported that Barrack said the United States was "deeply concerned" by "Israeli airstrikes confirmed against the airbase," and it said the Syrian Foreign Ministry condemned the strikes as an "unjustified act of aggression" and urged the UN Security Council to take a firm position.
Al-Jazirah Net | West Asian quoted academic and political analyst Kamal Abdo saying the strikes on Abu al-Duhur Military Airport represent "new evidence of the extent of Turkish-Israeli competition in Syria," and it said the attack came hours after a telephone call between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and U.S. President Donald Trump.
