Syria-Turkey Military Base Dispute: Israeli Strike Aftermath

Syria's Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said Thursday that Damascus had made clear to Israel that it was not cooperating with Turkey to establish a military presence at the Syrian air force base of Abu al-Duhur, yet Israel chose to strike the site anyway.

In an interview with Axios, al-Shaibani rejected Israeli claims that justified the attack. "There was no intention whatsoever to establish a Turkish base there, to create a permanent Turkish military presence, or to deploy Turkish forces at the location," he stated. According to the foreign minister, "there was no Turkish military buildup at the base in any sense that could justify such an interpretation."

Al-Shaibani added that "in fact, the base was mostly empty. Its rehabilitation has not yet been completed and it has not become fully operational, and the work there was still in the reconstruction phase."

The Syrian statements come against the backdrop of reports about an unusual phone call last week between Mossad chief Roman Gofman and the Syrian foreign minister. The conversation, which took place last Thursday, focused on Turkish military presence on Syrian soil, according to a Reuters report.

The sensitive diplomatic contact occurred just days before Israel carried out an extensive air strike against a Syrian military base in the north of the country. According to reports, Gofman expressed Israeli concerns about Turkish forces establishing themselves near the border.

The call represents one of the highest-level contacts recorded between Jerusalem and the new Damascus government since the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime. The growing Turkish presence in Syrian territory is a focal point of concern for Israel, particularly given Ankara's increased military activity in the region.

In a statement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office took responsibility for the strikes on the Abu al-Duhur base, claiming that Damascus had ignored warnings and allowed Turkish forces to deploy at the site. The statement said that "Israel and Syria agreed to maintain the status quo on security matters, which Syria was about to violate."

Netanyahu himself issued a sharp warning to Turkey following reports of closer ties between the new Damascus government and Ankara. "We will not tolerate a Turkish military entrenchment in Syria that threatens Israel," the prime minister declared firmly.

Netanyahu clarified that the Israeli message had been conveyed in advance to relevant parties in the region, using the emphatic phrase "Don't." The prime minister added pointedly: "Apparently they didn't hear it well enough, so we made sure they understood it better."

Turkish media responded aggressively to Israel's acknowledgment of the strike. Television channels, newspapers and leading news websites in Ankara and Istanbul rejected the Israeli arguments. A Turkish national security expert expressed his anger in a live broadcast and issued a combative call to Israel: "If the Israelis have courage – let's fight."

Major Turkish newspapers reflected the intensity of the escalation in their headlines. The newspaper "Turkiye" ran the main headline: "Serious provocation by Israel," while "TAKVIM" also attacked Israel sharply, claiming that "the problem of the Zionists is Turkey."