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Strike, denial, and base
Syria’s Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said Syria has “no plans” to establish a Turkish military presence at the Abu al-Duhur airbase after Israel attacked the site earlier this week.
“Syria has no plans to establish a Turkish military presence at the Abu al-Duhur airbase”
Al Jazeera reported that Israel carried out strikes on the Abu al-Duhur airbase near Aleppo, and it said no casualties were reported from the attack.
Reuters said the attack came after Turkish military officials visited the site as part of training and broader military cooperation, and it reported that the facility was largely empty.
In the same dispute, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel warned Syria ahead of the strike not to allow a Turkish presence at the base, adding, “Our message was very clear. Don’t. I guess they didn’t quite understand the message.”
Competing claims and quotes
Turkey denied any troop deployment at the Abu al-Duhur airbase before or during Israel’s strikes, with Rear Adm. Zeki Akturk saying, “No Turkish military delegation was present at the air base hit by Israel before or during the attacks.”
The Turkish defence ministry said Ankara would continue supporting Syria’s efforts to develop its own military capacity and infrastructure, while calling for the international community to take more concrete and effective measures against Israel’s actions.
Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz warned that Recep Tayyip Erdogan was “dragging Turkiye into dangerous adventures in Syria,” and he said, “Israel will not allow any entity to threaten its security.”
Haaretz framed the episode as an Israeli attempt to send Turkey a message, stating that Israel took responsibility for bombing the Abu al-Duhur military airfield in northern Syria and accusing Damascus of escalation by allowing Turkey to establish a military presence at the site.
Diplomacy, escalation risk
The dispute has renewed tensions between Israel and Turkiye despite a diplomatic hotline intended to prevent accidents, and Middle East Eye reported that Turkish officials said Israel did not use the hotline.
“Turkish officials told MEE that Israel did not use the hotline”
Middle East Eye also reported that Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani told Axios there were “no plans to establish a Turkish military base” and that the site was being rehabilitated for use by the Syrian Air Force.
Israel’s military chief Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir told troops in an Israeli-occupied security zone in southern Syria that “We will not allow hostile forces to establish themselves on our borders,” and he said Israel would know how to use its operational capabilities precisely where and when needed.
The Media Line reported that Mossad Director Roman Gofman discussed Turkey’s military buildup in Syria with Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani on August 14, 2026, and it said the phone call preceded Israeli warnings to Ankara over its activities in Syria.
