Israel hit Syrian base to thwart Turkish military deployment

An official said Israel resorted to military action after efforts to convey its position through diplomatic channels failed.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Israel attacked Syria’s Abu al-Duhur military air base last week after intelligence indicated Turkey was preparing to station troops and air defense and radar systems there, Kan News reported Saturday.

Eight Israeli airstrikes hit the facility, damaging warehouses and the runway.

The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said the operation followed Syria’s decision to permit a Turkish deployment that Israel viewed as a breach of the existing security arrangement in the area.

Israel shared intelligence about the expected Turkish deployment with the United States, telling Washington that Ankara intended to send military personnel along with radar and air defense equipment to the Syrian base, according to Kan News.

An official said Israel resorted to military action after efforts to convey its position through diplomatic channels failed.

“Since the diplomatic message did not get through, Israel delivered it through a targeted warning strike,” the official said.

Syria and Turkey rejected Israel’s account and denied that Turkish forces were preparing to deploy at Abu al-Duhur.

The United States, meanwhile, criticized the Israeli operation as an “unnecessary” escalation.

Defense Minister Israel Katz said Saturday that Israel attempted to halt the move before resorting to military action by delivering a warning directly to senior Syrian officials.

“Following several discussions that Prime Minister [Benjamin Netanyahu] and I held with the IDF and the various security officials, it was agreed that before approval was given, a direct warning would be issued to the Syrian regime at the highest levels first in an attempt to prevent the move, and that is what was done,” Katz said.

His account echoed Netanyahu’s statement that Syria had been warned before the attack.

Katz said Turkey did not respond to the threat, after which he authorized the military operation. He said the strikes were successfully carried out and argued that they ultimately prevented Ankara from proceeding with its plans.

“[Turkish President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan was caught with his hand in the cookie jar and was forced to back down,” Katz said.