{"id":37284,"date":"2026-08-20T07:59:04","date_gmt":"2026-08-20T04:59:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/?p=37284"},"modified":"2026-08-20T07:59:06","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T04:59:06","slug":"syria-rejects-israeli-claims-of-turkish-military-buildup-after-airstrikes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/syria-rejects-israeli-claims-of-turkish-military-buildup-after-airstrikes\/","title":{"rendered":"Syria rejects Israeli claims of Turkish military buildup after airstrikes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

6 minute read<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Syria has rejected Israel\u2019s justification for striking the Abu Duhur airbase in northwestern Syria, saying there were no plans to establish a Turkish military base or permanent Turkish military presence at the facility.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al Shaibani said the site was being rehabilitated for use by the Syrian Air Force and that Turkish military officers had visited as part of broader training and military cooperation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Israeli forces struck the Abu Duhur airbase early Tuesday, damaging runways and hangars but causing no casualties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Israel said the operation was intended to prevent a Turkish military buildup at the site, while Syrian officials said the facility remained largely empty and was not yet operational.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Syria Disputes Israeli Justification<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Al Shaibani said Syria had made clear to Israel that there was no intention to establish a Turkish base at Abu Duhur. \u201cThere was no intention to establish a Turkish base there, nor to establish a permanent Turkish military presence or deploy Turkish forces at the site,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the Syrian foreign minister, rehabilitation work at the base was focused on restoring facilities damaged during the war for eventual use by the Syrian Air Force. He said there was no Turkish military buildup that could justify Israel\u2019s interpretation of the activity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe base was, in fact, largely empty,\u201d Al-Shaibani said, adding that it had not been fully rehabilitated or made operational when Israel carried out the strikes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He acknowledged that Turkish military officers had visited the facility several days before the attack. Still, he described the visit as part of ongoing military cooperation involving training and an exchange of expertise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Syria is working to rebuild its military and civilian institutions and has cooperation and training programs with several countries, including Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Qatar and Russia, Al-Shaibani said. He stressed that Syria, as a sovereign state, has the right to establish military cooperation with other countries.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan meeting with Syrian President Ahmad Al-Sharaa at the Turkish House, on the sidelines of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, U.S., on September 24, 2025. (Image Credit: Presidency of the Republic of Turkiye)<\/sup><\/em>

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Israel Cites Turkish Military Presence<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Israel has presented a different account of the activity at Abu Duhur. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had warned Damascus not to permit a Turkish presence at the base before the attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Israel also told the Trump administration that the strikes were intended to prevent a Turkish military buildup, according to U.S. and Israeli officials cited in the source material. \u201cOur message was very clear: Don\u2019t. I guess they didn\u2019t quite understand the message,\u201d Netanyahu said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Israeli strikes involved at least eight bombs hitting runways and hangars at the facility, which is located about 45 miles from the Turkish border. The attack damaged recently rebuilt runways, but no casualties were reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The strikes came shortly after a Turkish delegation visited the base. Syrian officials said the delegation had arrived Monday to review rehabilitation work underway at the facility, marking the first confirmation of a Turkish presence at Abu Duhur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish officials have not publicly confirmed the reported presence of a military delegation at the base. Ankara\u2019s communications directorate, however, condemned the Israeli attack and accused Netanyahu of making allegations intended to justify what it described as unlawful strikes against Syria\u2019s sovereignty and territorial integrity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Growing Turkish-Syrian Military Cooperation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The dispute comes as Ankara and Damascus expand military cooperation following the fall of former Syrian President Bashar Assad\u2019s government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkiye has supported efforts to rebuild Syria\u2019s armed forces by training Syrian personnel at Turkish military schools and bases and providing equipment and logistical support. The two countries also signed an agreement last year formalizing their military cooperation, while Syrian troops have participated in military exercises in Turkiye.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Turkish soldiers patrolling in Syria. (Image Credit: T\u00fcrk Silahl\u0131 Kuvvetleri\/Anadolu Agency)<\/sup><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The Abu Duhur facility occupies a strategically important position near the borders of Idlib, Aleppo and Hama provinces. Under Assad, MiG-23 and MiG-21 fighter jets and L-39 aircraft operated from the base.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ankara has repeatedly maintained that Syria\u2019s security is closely linked to its own. The expansion of Turkish-Syrian military ties has therefore become an important factor in the wider competition over Syria\u2019s post-Assad security architecture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Israel, meanwhile, remains deeply suspicious of Syria\u2019s new authorities in Damascus. Israeli forces have carried out hundreds of strikes against Syrian military assets since Assad\u2019s ouster in December 2024 and have maintained control over a US-patrolled buffer zone in southern Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The latest strike adds another point of tension between Israel and Turkiye, whose relations have deteriorated sharply in recent years. The two countries were once close security partners, but disagreements over Israel\u2019s policies toward the Palestinians and Turkiye\u2019s support for Hamas have contributed to a prolonged deterioration in relations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Syria Seeks Negotiations with Israel<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the latest Israeli strike, Syria says it remains open to negotiations with Israel aimed at reducing tensions along their border.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Al-Shaibani said Syria and Israel had conducted a year of U.S.-mediated negotiations and had made significant progress toward a security agreement. According to his account, the two sides reached a formula on paper, but Israel later withdrew from its commitments, and the agreement was never implemented.
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Chief of Staff Zamir toured southern Syria a day after the strike on Syrian Airbase: "We will not allow hostile forces to entrench along our borders." pic.twitter.com\/tD9FpyGngU<\/a><\/p>— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) August 19, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote>