‘Don’t’ – Netanyahu warned Turkey not to deploy forces to Syria

Israel will not tolerate Turkish military presence in Syria, says Prime Minister Netanyahu, adding that Ankara ignored Israel’s warnings before strike on airbase.

By World Israel News Staff

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that Israel had warned Turkey against establishing a military presence in Syria before Israeli warplanes struck an airbase that Jerusalem says was being prepared for Turkish forces.

Speaking a day after the Israeli strikes on the Abu al-Duhur airbase in northwestern Syria, Netanyahu said Israel would not accept a Turkish military buildup extending southward in the country and threatening Israel.

“We will not tolerate a Turkish military establishment in Syria that threatens Israel,” Netanyahu said.

Describing the warning delivered to Ankara, Netanyahu added simply: “Don’t.”

“The message was conveyed but apparently they didn’t hear it, so we made sure they understood it more clearly,” he said, referring to the Israeli attack.

Israel struck Abu al-Duhur early Tuesday, hitting runways and storage or hangar facilities. Syrian officials said the attack caused material damage but no casualties.

The base is located in Idlib province, roughly 70 kilometers from the Turkish border and considerably farther north than most of the areas where Israel has operated militarily in Syria in recent years.

Netanyahu’s office said after the attack that Syria had been close to violating a security “status quo” with Israel by allowing Turkish troops to deploy at the installation. Israel had “repeatedly warned Syria that such a deployment would pose a threat to Israel’s security,” the Prime Minister’s Office said, adding that “Syria chose to ignore these warnings.”

Syrian officials confirmed that a Turkish delegation had visited Abu al-Duhur on Monday, only hours before the Israeli attack.

Two Syrian officials told the Associated Press that the delegation had inspected rehabilitation work underway at the airbase, marking the first confirmation that Turkish personnel had recently been present at the facility.

Syria, however, disputed Israel’s claim that the site was being converted into a Turkish military position.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said Damascus had informed Israel before the attack that “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.”

“There was no Turkish military build-up at the base in any sense that would justify such an interpretation,” al-Shaibani told Axios, saying the work was limited to rebuilding the Syrian airfield and facilities damaged during the country’s civil war.

The Israeli concerns over Turkish activity were also raised through direct contacts with Damascus in the days before the strike.

Three people familiar with the matter told Reuters that Mossad Director Roman Gofman spoke by telephone with al-Shaibani on August 14, four days before the bombing.

The conversation focused heavily on Turkey’s growing military role in Syria, including arms, drones and other support provided to the Syrian armed forces.

The call was among the highest-level known contacts between Israel and the government of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

Turkey strongly rejected Israel’s account on Wednesday, accusing Netanyahu’s government of using the allegation of a planned Turkish deployment to justify the attack.

“The untenable allegations put forward by the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office are intended to legitimize Israel’s unlawful airstrikes targeting Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the Turkish presidency said.

“Turkey will resolutely continue to cooperate with the Syrian Government on a legitimate basis for the establishment of peace, stability, and prosperity in Syria, and will never allow the destabilization of Syria,” it added. Ankara did not directly say whether Turkish forces had been considered for deployment at Abu al-Duhur.

Turkey has become one of the principal foreign backers of Syria’s new government since Bashar al-Assad was overthrown in December 2024.

Ankara has trained Syrian military personnel, supplied equipment and logistical support and signed a formal military cooperation agreement with Damascus. Israel has increasingly voiced concern that Turkey could use its influence to establish a substantial military presence in Syria.

The confrontation has also prompted concern in Washington about the possibility of a direct clash between two major US partners.

US Ambassador to Turkey and Syria envoy Tom Barrack said Ankara had not received advance warning of the Israeli airstrike itself, meaning Turkish forces saw Israeli aircraft moving north and could potentially have prepared a military response.

“Thankfully, calm heads were able to prevent the situation from deteriorating further,” Barrack said. He called the strike “an unnecessary escalation that does not advance regional stability.”

Barrack said the United States is now working to establish a stronger deconfliction mechanism among Israel, Turkey and Syria to prevent military misunderstandings.

“This underscores the need for a deconfliction mechanism involving Israel, Syria and Türkiye,” Barrack said. “The priority now is to lower tensions and allow space for a more measured approach.”