Tom Burk, the U.S. special envoy to Syria and ambassador to Turkey, disclosed Tuesday evening that Ankara received no advance notification of Israeli airstrikes on the Abu al-Duhur airbase in northwestern Syria, and that the incident nearly triggered a Turkish military response.
Speaking to Reuters, Burk explained that after Turkish forces detected Israeli aircraft moving northward toward Turkish airspace, they "could reasonably have prepared their own response." He added that "fortunately, level-headed people managed to prevent the situation from escalating further."
The American diplomat emphasized that the incident underscores the urgent need for a deconfliction mechanism between Israel, Turkey, and Syria. While Washington is already facilitating information-sharing and dialogue among the parties, Burk said a "stronger mechanism" is required to prevent misunderstandings and potential confrontations.
Four airstrikes hit the runway at Abu al-Duhur base in Idlib province early in the morning, causing damage but no casualties. According to Burk, the Israeli strike stemmed from an assessment, "whether accurate or mistaken", that Turkey might soon expand its presence at the facility.
