Israel Warns Turkey as Tensions Rise over Syria

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Thursday accused Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of “dragging Turkey into dangerous adventures in Syria” and said Israel would not “allow any entity to threaten its security”.

The statement came after Tuesday’s Israeli strike on the Abu al-Duhur airbase near the Turkish border. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had warned Damascus not to allow Turkish troops to deploy at the base.

However, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani told Axios that no Turkish base was planned there. He said the facility was being renovated for the Syrian Air Force and that Turkish officers had visited only as part of training and broader military cooperation.

Turkey rejected Israel’s claims about its military presence in Syria as unfounded.

Al-Shaibani also said the Israeli strike was unjustified. He said Damascus remained ready to negotiate with Israel to ease tensions, but that any agreement must respect the security interests of both sides and Syrian sovereignty.

(Reuters, est)