Israel confirmed Tuesday that it carried out overnight airstrikes on a Syrian military airbase near Aleppo, saying the attack was launched after Damascus ignored repeated warnings not to allow Turkish forces to deploy at the facility.

The Prime Minister’s Office said Syria was on the verge of violating an existing security understanding with Israel by permitting Turkish troops to establish a presence at the airbase.

“Israel and Syria agreed to a status quo in security matters, which Syria was on the verge of breaching by permitting Turkish troops to deploy at an airbase near Aleppo.

“Israel repeatedly warned Syria that such a deployment would pose a threat to Israel’s security. Syria chose to ignore these warnings.

“Israel will not tolerate threats to its security, and would welcome a return to the status quo.”

The confirmation came after four Israeli airstrikes reportedly hit the runway at the Abu al-Duhur military airbase in northwestern Syria early Tuesday. The runway sustained damage, though no casualties were reported.

Local sources said a Turkish military delegation had recently visited the base to assist with efforts to rehabilitate the facility, which had been largely out of operation for approximately a decade due to fighting in the area.

Turkey, however, denied that it was preparing to establish a military presence at the base.

Meanwhile, U.S. Special Envoy for Syria and Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack said Turkey was not given advance warning of the Israeli strikes, raising the possibility that the incident could have triggered a direct military confrontation.

Barrack told Reuters that after detecting Israeli aircraft heading north toward its territory, Turkey “could reasonably have prepared for a response of its own.”

“Fortunately, cooler heads were able to prevent the situation from escalating further,” Barrack said.

He said the incident demonstrated the need for a stronger deconfliction mechanism between Israel, Syria and Turkey. Washington is already facilitating communication between the sides, Barrack said, but a more robust system with additional resources is necessary to prevent misunderstandings from escalating into military confrontations.

Barrack said the Israeli strike reflected a perception, “whether accurate or mistaken,” that Turkey could soon increase its presence at the Syrian base.

“The priority now is to reduce tensions and allow space for a more measured approach,” he said.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)