Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, the Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff, toured Israeli military positions in Syria on Wednesday, meeting with soldiers deployed in the security zone in the country's south. The visit came two days after Israel carried out an unusual airstrike in Syria's Idlib province.
Zamir's trip to Syria takes place against a backdrop of escalating friction with Turkey, following Israel's strike on the Abu al-Duhur military airfield. According to Israeli officials, the strike was launched after intelligence indicated that Turkish forces were preparing to deploy at the base. The Prime Minister's Office stated that Israel and Syria have understandings designed to preserve the existing security situation, but that Jerusalem views the potential deployment of Turkish troops at the air force base as a violation of those arrangements and a possible threat to Israeli security.
"Israel and Syria agreed to maintain the status quo on security matters, which Syria was about to violate by allowing Turkish forces to deploy at an air force base near Aleppo," the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement. It emphasized that "Israel warned Syria repeatedly that such a deployment would constitute a threat to its security. Syria chose to ignore these warnings. Israel will not tolerate threats to its security, and welcomes a return to the status quo."
