Netanyahu: Syria was on verge of deploying Turkish troops—Israel warned against it

Syria was on the verge of breaching the status quo in security matters by permitting the deployment of Turkish troops at an airbase near Aleppo, Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement on Tuesday night.

Overnight Monday, the Abu al-Duhur Military Airbase in Idlib in northwestern Syria reportedly came under attack. Syrian authorities accused Israel of carrying out the offensive.

“Israel repeatedly warned Syria that such a deployment would pose a threat to Israel’s security. Syria chose to ignore these warnings,” the PMO continued, apparently referencing the strikes.

“Israel will not tolerate threats to its security, and would welcome a return to the status quo,” which was agreed to with Syria, the PMO added.

Syria’s foreign ministry on Tuesday blamed Israel for carrying out the attack, calling it “a violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

Syria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates described the strikes as “an unjustified act of aggression” and a “dangerous escalation” threatening the region’s security and stability, the state’s official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported.

Syria called on the international community and the United Nations Security Council to take a firm stance against any Israeli violations of Syrian sovereignty.

United States Ambassador to Turkey and Special Presidential Envoy to Iraq and Syria Tom Barrack said that “we are deeply concerned that the confirmed Israeli airstrikes on Abu al-Duhur Airbase constitute an unnecessary escalation that does not advance regional stability.”

Barrack said in an X post that Syria’s al-Sharaa government had signaled a preference for deescalation with Israel and said Washington would continue facilitating discussions between the sides. He urged “restraint and engagement” and called on all parties to prioritize dialogue over additional military incidents.

“Highly sensitive intelligence was shared with the United States in advance, at the most senior levels of the various agencies and bodies,” a senior Israeli official told Fox News on Tuesday. “Al-Sharaa understands that he cannot operate like the previous Syrian regime, which maintained proxy forces. It’s possible that he didn’t understand what was going on, or didn’t know.”

The official couldn’t offer more details, “due to the highly classified nature of the intelligence,” Fox News’ Chief Foreign Correspondent Trey Yingst reported.