Turkey rejects Israeli allegations over possible troop deployment at Syrian air base

Ankara, Turkey. Turkey on Wednesday rejected what it described as “untenable allegations” by Israel over its military position in Syria, following Israeli airstrikes on the Abu al-Duhur air base near Aleppo.

Israeli statement

Israel carried out airstrikes against the Abu al-Duhur base near the Turkish border on Tuesday. The attack drew condemnation from Turkey and criticism from a US envoy, who described it as an “unnecessary escalation”.

In a statement late on Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Syria was on the verge of violating a “status quo agreed with Israel in security matters” by allowing Turkish troops to deploy at the base.

It said such a deployment would threaten Israel’s security and would not be tolerated.

Turkey’s response

Turkey’s presidency said the statements by Netanyahu’s office were intended to support what it called Israel’s “expansionist and destabilising policies” ahead of elections in Israel.

It said lasting regional peace could only be achieved if Israel respected international law and abandoned its “aggressive and coercive policies”.

“The untenable allegations put forward by the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office are intended to legitimise Israel’s unlawful airstrikes targeting Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the presidency said on X, without explicitly referring to potential deployment plans.

It said Turkey would continue to cooperate with the Syrian government “on a legitimate basis” to establish peace, stability and prosperity in Syria, and would not allow Syria to be destabilised.

Regional tensions

The strikes followed worsening security tensions and increasingly sharp rhetoric between Israel and Turkey over Syria, where both countries’ militaries are active.

Turkey, which has NATO’s second-largest army, has emerged as one of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s main allies. Ankara has accused Israel of seeking to destabilise Syria and undermine its new administration, while calling for international pressure and measures to uphold Syria’s territorial integrity.

Turkey has been training Syria’s army, assisting with the rebuilding of state institutions and infrastructure, and providing military and diplomatic support.

Last year, Turkey and Israel, which are also at odds over the war in Gaza, established a line of communication to prevent incidents in Syria.