Israel Confirms Syria Strike After Damascus Ignored Warnings

“Israel will not tolerate threats to its security, and would welcome a return to the status quo,” the statement said.

By World Israel News Staff

Israel on Tuesday night confirmed that it carried out the airstrike on Syria’s Abu al-Duhur Airbase, saying the attack came after Damascus allowed Turkish troops to move toward deploying at the facility despite repeated Israeli warnings.

The confirmation from the Prime Minister’s Office followed hours of reports attributing the early-morning strike to Israel and sharp criticism from U.S. envoy Tom Barrack.

According to the PMO, Israel and Syria had previously agreed to maintain a “status quo in security matters,” but Damascus was “on the verge of breaching” that understanding by permitting Turkish forces to deploy at an airbase near Aleppo.

“Israel repeatedly warned Syria that such a deployment would pose a threat to Israel’s security,” the PMO said. “Syria chose to ignore these warnings.”

“Israel will not tolerate threats to its security, and would welcome a return to the status quo,” it added.

The Prime Minister’s Office:
Israel and Syria agreed to a status quo in security matters, which Syria was on the verge of breaching by permitting Turkish troops to deploy at an airbase near Aleppo.

Israel repeatedly warned Syria that such a deployment would pose a threat to…

— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) August 18, 2026

Syrian state media reported earlier Tuesday that Israeli aircraft struck the Abu al-Duhur military airbase in northwestern Syria, damaging its runway and other infrastructure but causing no casualties.

Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported that the attack came after a Turkish military delegation visited the facility on Monday to oversee efforts to rehabilitate its runway.

The Israeli confirmation came after Barrack, the U.S. ambassador to Turkey and special envoy for Syria, warned that Israeli military action could have the opposite effect of what Jerusalem intends by encouraging a larger Turkish presence in Syria.

Barrack told Reuters that Turkey had not been given advance warning of Tuesday’s strike and suggested Ankara could have mounted a response against Israel.

He said the incident highlighted the need for a mechanism to prevent friction among Israel, Syria and Turkey, adding that Washington was actively working to establish such an arrangement.

Earlier Tuesday, Barrack publicly criticized the Israeli attack as an “unnecessary escalation” and defended the government of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa as seeking de-escalation with Israel.

Israel’s statement, however, directly linked the strike to what it described as a looming Turkish military deployment that threatened Israeli security and violated existing understandings with Damascus.

The episode comes amid growing Israeli concern over Turkey’s expanding military role in post-Assad Syria, particularly the possibility that Ankara could establish forces or air-defense systems at Syrian bases in ways that could threaten Israel or restrict the IDF’s freedom of action.