Israel’s strike on the Abu al-Duhur military airbase in northwestern Syria has triggered furious reactions in Turkey, with pro-government media branding the attack a “provocation of war” and one prominent Turkish security commentator openly challenging Israel to a military confrontation.

The airbase, located roughly 55 kilometers from the Turkish border, had reportedly been undergoing rehabilitation and was being considered for the deployment of Turkish radar and air-defense systems.

A Turkish military delegation visited the facility shortly before the Israeli strike to inspect the rehabilitation work and examine plans for returning the base to operation. The delegation reportedly left shortly before Israeli fighter jets struck the runway, storage facilities and a hangar. No casualties were reported.

Israel subsequently acknowledged responsibility for the attack, saying Syria had violated an existing security status quo by moving toward allowing Turkish forces to deploy at the base.

The Prime Minister’s Office said Israel had “warned repeatedly that such a deployment would constitute a threat to Israel’s security, and Syria chose to ignore it.”

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

The explanation did little to calm the reaction in Ankara.

The Turkish newspaper Türkiye described the strike as a “provocation of war,” while Turkish media broadly portrayed the attack as a direct message to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and an attempt to prevent Ankara from expanding its military presence in Syria.

Turkish security analyst Mete Yarar went even further during a live television appearance.

“If you have the courage, come fight us, Israel!” Yarar declared.

Yarar also questioned Israel’s military strength, arguing that its reputation for invincibility was exaggerated and heavily dependent on advanced weapons systems such as the F-35.

The escalating rhetoric comes after Erdogan himself warned that although Turkey seeks peace, it would not shy away from war if attacked.

“We are not talking to you about war, but about peace and how to ensure world peace. But if there are those who attack Turkey with the aim of bringing war rather than peace, Turkey will not hesitate from war and will not run away from it. I say this clearly and sharply, although we do not want to experience such a thing,” Erdogan said in an interview with Al Jazeera.

Erdogan also said he intends to visit Damascus “as soon as possible” and pledged continued Turkish support for Syria’s new government.

“Syria is our sister and we will never leave her alone. Turkey will continue to do whatever is necessary to ensure its stability,” Erdogan said.

Ankara formally rejected Israel’s justification for the strike, with Erdogan’s communications office calling Israel’s claims “unacceptable allegations intended to justify illegal airstrikes against Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

Turkey accused Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu of seeking to continue a policy of “expansion and destabilization” and vowed to continue its cooperation with Damascus.

U.S. Ambassador to Turkey and Syria envoy Tom Barrack also criticized the Israeli operation, describing it as an “unnecessary escalation that does not advance regional stability.”

According to Barrack, Turkey did not receive advance warning of the strike, creating the possibility that Turkish forces could have interpreted Israeli aircraft flying northward as an attack against them and scrambled fighter jets in response.

He called for a more effective coordination mechanism between Israel, Turkey and Syria to prevent a future incident from spiraling into a broader confrontation.

The strike comes amid rapidly expanding ties between Ankara and Syria’s new government, including military cooperation and plans for Turkish involvement in rebuilding Syrian infrastructure.

Turkish media have increasingly portrayed Israel as attempting to prevent Ankara from helping rebuild Syria’s military capabilities, particularly an air-defense network that could eventually restrict the Israeli Air Force’s freedom of operation over Syria.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)