Israeli strike on Syrian airbase highlights tensions with Türkiye

Abu al-Duhur, Syria. An Israeli airstrike on Abu al-Duhur airbase in northwestern Syria last week has drawn attention to potential strategic tensions between Israel and Türkiye over Syria’s future.

Israel said it acted on intelligence indicating Turkish military movements at the airbase, while US Ambassador to Türkiye and Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack said the United States found no basis for that assessment.

Conflicting intelligence assessments

Barrack said Washington had received the Israeli intelligence six days before the attack and conducted its own review.

In an interview with Mario Nawfal on 21 August, Barrack said: “We all did our due diligence. We went back to our respective intelligence agencies. The answer we got is, no, that’s not happening.”

The differing Israeli and US assessments raised questions about the intelligence behind the strike and Washington’s position between Israel and Türkiye.

Türkiye’s role in Syria

Türkiye is seeking greater influence over Syria’s political and security structures. Israel may view a long-term Turkish military presence in Syria as a strategic concern, particularly if military infrastructure becomes established near its strategic environment.

The strike may have reflected a preventive calculation that an entrenched Turkish military presence could create future security concerns for Israel. Türkiye, however, may interpret action against a site linked to its interests as a challenge to its freedom of action in Syria.

US position

The incident could contribute to a cycle in which Israel applies military pressure to limit Türkiye’s role in Syria, while Türkiye strengthens its presence to protect its interests.

The United States has interests in maintaining its relationship with Israel, while Türkiye is a NATO ally and an important actor in Syria’s future. Israel’s bombardment of Lebanon, war with Iran, expansion into the West Bank and actions in Gaza have already tested its relationship with Washington, the article said.

The Abu al-Duhur incident highlighted the difficulty for the United States of managing competing security priorities among its regional partners as Israel and Türkiye increasingly view each other’s role in Syria as a potential security threat.