Israel warns Türkiye against expanding military role in Syria

Israel has warned Türkiye against increasing its military presence in Syria following an Israeli strike on the Abu al-Duhur airbase in the country’s northwest, which Israel claims was being prepared to host Turkish forces.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz accused President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of dragging Türkiye into “dangerous adventures” and cautioned Ankara against testing Israel’s determination to protect its security, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said any Turkish deployment would upset the existing security balance in Syria.

Both Türkiye and Syria deny that troops were due to be stationed at the airbase. Ankara has become a major supporter of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and is assisting with the training and rebuilding of Syria’s armed forces, while Israel strongly opposes a Turkish military foothold that could constrain its operations in the country.

The confrontation comes shortly after Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed a mutual defence agreement, potentially increasing the consequences of any direct Israeli-Turkish clash. US envoy Tom Barrack described Israel’s airbase strike as an “unnecessary escalation” and urged both sides to avoid further military confrontation.