Overview
- Israeli aircraft struck the Abu al‑Duhur military airbase in Idlib on Tuesday, with Syrian state media reporting eight hits to the runway and storage areas and no reported casualties.
- Jerusalem later acknowledged responsibility and said the strikes aimed to prevent what it called a near‑breach of a security “status quo” by stopping a planned Turkish troop deployment at the facility.
- Damage was limited to infrastructure, according to Syrian sources, but the operation produced wide diplomatic fallout as regional states denounced the violation of Syrian sovereignty.
- U.S. envoy Tom Barrack publicly condemned the strikes as an “unnecessary escalation,” warned they risked a clash with Türkiye, and said Washington is pressing to set up direct deconfliction channels between Israel, Türkiye and Syria.
- Key facts remain disputed — including whether Turkish forces were present and the extent of U.S. prior briefings — and the incident highlights the tension between Syria’s post‑Assad military rebuilding, Turkish support for Damascus, and Israel’s efforts to constrain perceived threats.