New details have emerged about the events leading up to the unusual Israeli strike on a Syrian airbase overnight Monday, Kan News reported.

The report, which cited an Israeli security official, revealed that Israel provided the United States with intelligence showing that Turkey was preparing to establish a presence at the base after indirect talks aimed at reaching understandings with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa failed to produce an agreement.

A senior Israeli official also confirmed to Fox News that Israel shared sensitive intelligence with the United States shortly before the strikes. According to the report, the intelligence was provided directly to the highest levels of U.S. intelligence agencies.

The report added that Israel is not only concerned about the restoration of the runways at the airbase, which occupies a strategic location between the provinces of Idlib, Hama and Aleppo, but also about the possible deployment of air defense systems that could threaten Israel’s control of the airspace, as well as advanced drones.

In a highly unusual move, Israel officially took responsibility for the strikes. In a statement published in English, the Prime Minister’s Office said that Syria had violated the security status quo by allowing Turkish forces to deploy at the airbase near Aleppo.

Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack also revealed details about the strike, telling Reuters that “the Israeli strikes on the air force base in Syria reflect the assessment that Turkey may increase its presence there in the near future.”

Barrack emphasized that Turkish forces on the ground were not given advance warning about the Israeli strikes and could have attacked Israel in response.

“This underscores the need for a deconfliction mechanism involving Israel, Syria and Turkey — a mechanism that we are actively working to establish in order to prevent future miscommunication,” he said.

Israel’s statement drew a sharp response from Turkey. The office of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that “the baseless claims put forward by the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office are intended to legitimize Israel’s illegal airstrikes, which violate Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

Syria also disputed Israel’s account. A diplomatic source in the Syrian Foreign Ministry told Al Jazeera that no agreement exists between Syria and Israel establishing the security arrangements described by Jerusalem. The source claimed that Israel was informed before the strike that no foreign forces were present at the airbase, but carried out the attack nonetheless.

The Syrian source added that Damascus would not accept an arrangement restricting its activities within its sovereign territory. From Syria’s perspective, he said, it cannot agree to a framework that would “restrict the construction of civilian and military institutions and limit Syria’s options for playing a role in strengthening stability in the region.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)