Strikes on Syrian air base sharpen Israel-Turkey rivalry over Syria

Eight air strikes hit a military air base in northwestern Syria early Tuesday, damaging its runway and storage facilities and adding new tension to the struggle over Syria’s future.

Syrian authorities blamed Israel for the August 18 attack on the Abu al Duhur air base in eastern Idlib province. Turkey and US envoy Tom Barrack also publicly referred to the attack as Israeli. The Israeli military, however, has not claimed responsibility.

The strikes appear to be the first attack on Syrian government military assets since March, as Damascus tries to rebuild capabilities devastated by almost fourteen years of civil war and the destruction that followed the fall of Bashar al Assad in December 2024.

Abu al Duhur is particularly sensitive because of its proximity to Turkey and Ankara’s growing role in rebuilding Syria.

A strike close to Turkey

Abu al Duhur lies about 70 kilometers, or 44 miles, from the Turkish border, and former Turkish ambassador Cengiz Kamil Fırat told i24NEWS’ Middle East Now that the location made the attack particularly dangerous.

“This was quite reckless. This was quite near to the Turkish border.”

Fırat said the strike should be seen as part of a broader escalation between Israel and Turkey.

“There’s an escalation, there’s an aggressive behavior coming from the Israeli side with actions, not only words, but actual actions.”

He also disputes the argument that the current Syrian government poses an immediate threat to Israel.

“Israel has been attacking aggressively a state. Israel has been calling them jihadists, et cetera. But they haven’t attacked Israel.”

Fırat contrasted Israel’s military activity with Turkey’s efforts to rebuild Syrian institutions.

“Not a single attack has come Israel’s way. Israel has enlarged its territory. Turkey is, yes, building the network there so that the government can function.”

Israel’s concern, however, is focused less on Syria’s immediate ability to attack and more on what its military could become.

A Turkish presence involving radar, aircraft or air defense systems could restrict the Israeli Air Force’s ability to operate over Syria. Turkey condemned Tuesday’s attack and called for stronger international action, while Damascus denounced the strikes as a violation of its sovereignty.

The T4 precedent

The latest attack resembles events in the spring of 2025, when Turkish efforts to expand their military presence in Syria collided with Israeli security concerns. Turkish teams inspected T4, also known as Tiyas, Palmyra in Homs province and the main military airport in Hama as Ankara considered a possible defense agreement with Damascus.

Another inspection of T4 and Palmyra was scheduled for March 25, 2025, but never happened. Israeli aircraft struck both bases just hours before the Turkish delegation was due to arrive. Unlike the latest Abu al Duhur attack, Israel publicly acknowledged those strikes and later struck T4 again in early April.

Israeli concern centered on the possibility that Turkey could deploy air defense systems and drones at T4, giving Ankara greater control over Syrian airspace and restricting Israeli operations.

Fırat said he sees the latest attack as part of the same dispute.

“It’s a clear message coming from the Israeli side, obviously. But having said that, reading what’s been delivered by both sides, we are upping the ante all the time.”

The confrontation over T4 eventually pushed Israel and Turkey to establish a communication channel in 2025 to prevent their forces from accidentally colliding in Syria.

Rebuilding Syria

The dispute is unfolding as Syria attempts to reconstruct its military after Assad’s fall. Israel launched hundreds of strikes after his government collapsed in December 2024, destroying aircraft, missiles, naval assets, air defense systems and other strategic weapons it feared could fall into hostile hands.

The new Syrian government says it does not seek war with Israel and has pursued a security agreement. Turkey and the United States have emphasized strengthening Damascus as a path toward stability, while Israel remains concerned about what a rebuilt Syrian military could mean for its security.

Fırat argues that a functioning Syrian state would ultimately benefit the wider region.

“If the Syrians can get together and build a state again, a viable state that runs, that has a viable economy. It’s not going to be detrimental to anybody, including Israel.”

Risk of confrontation

Neither Israel nor Turkey says it wants a direct military conflict, but their communication channel has not resolved their disagreement over Turkey’s military role in Syria or the capabilities Damascus should be allowed to rebuild.

“What needs to be done is to make sure that we go back to talking, we go back to diplomacy, we go back to actually seeing eye to eye on certain things,” Fırat said, before adding: “If you want to have another country like Turkey on your warpath, go ahead. I don’t recommend it at all.”

Israel has not said it carried out the latest attack or explained what it believed needed to be destroyed at Abu al Duhur. But with Damascus, Ankara and Washington attributing the strikes to Israel, the attack is likely to be interpreted as another warning about the limits Israel intends to place on Syria’s military rebuilding and how far Turkey is prepared to challenge them.