Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
A new flashpoint is emerging in the Middle East. Syria is at the centre of rising tensions between Israel and the country’s new leadership. Eight Israeli airstrikes hit the Abu al-Duhur airbase in northwestern Syria early Tuesday. The strikes damaged its runway and storage facilities, according to Reuters. The attack happened amid Syria’s efforts to rebuild its military following Assad’s ousting. Israel has repeatedly raised concerns about the military ambitions of the country’s new leadership.
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Syrian state-run Ekhbariya, citing a military source, said the strikes hit the runway and storage facilities at the base in Idlib province. A separate military source and a civilian living near the airbase said there were no casualties.
US WARNS STRIKES COULD FUEL ESCALATION
US special presidential envoy for Syria and Iraq Tom Barrack said Washington was deeply concerned about the Israeli strikes.
“We are deeply concerned that the confirmed Israeli airstrikes on Abu al-Duhur Airbase constitute an unnecessary escalation that does not advance regional stability. The United States continues to believe that restraint and engagement offer the more constructive course. We encourage all parties to prioritize logical discourse over further military incidents,” Barrack said on X.
In response, Syria’s Foreign Ministry accused Israel of violating Syrian sovereignty and urged international action.
“Syria condemns in the strongest terms the Israeli airstrikes targeting” the Abu Duhur military air base in Idlib province “and considers them an unjustified act of aggression,” the ministry said. Damascus called on the international community and the United Nations Security Council to “take a firm position against Israel’s repeated violations of Syrian sovereignty”.
ISRAEL SHARED INTELLIGENCE WITH US
Despite Washington’s concern over the strikes, a senior Israeli official told Fox News that the US had been briefed before the operation.
“Highly sensitive intelligence was shared with the United States in advance, at the most senior levels of the various agencies and bodies,” the official told Fox News when asked about the reported Israeli strikes overnight.
“Al-Sharaa understands that he cannot operate like the previous Syrian regime, which maintained proxy forces. It’s possible that he didn’t understand what was going on, or didn’t know,” the official said. However, the official declined to provide further details, citing the sensitivity of the intelligence involved.
The contrasting accounts expose a familiar tension in Washington’s approach to Israel. While the US envoy publicly criticised the strikes as an “unnecessary escalation”, the Israeli account indicates that Washington officials had been briefed on the intelligence behind the operation before it was carried out.
AIRBASE HAS A LONG HISTORY OF CONFLICT
The Abu al-Duhur airbase is located about 70 km (43.5 miles) from the Turkish border and has been deeply tied to Syria’s civil war. The base stopped operating as a dedicated military airfield in 2013 and changed hands several times during the conflict between forces loyal to Assad and opposition factions. Since Assad was ousted in late 2024, the facility has reportedly been used as a training centre for Syria’s new army, according to a Syrian military source cited by Reuters.
Israel has stepped up military activity in Syria since Assad’s removal. In the months after Assad was toppled, Israel seized ground in southwestern Syria and struck much of the Syrian military’s heavy weapons and equipment.
Israeli officials have also repeatedly expressed concern about the Islamist background of Syria’s new rulers and the possibility that Damascus could develop military capabilities that threaten Israel. Israel had regularly carried out strikes inside Syria even during Assad’s rule, primarily targeting Iranian influence and Iran-linked military infrastructure.
TURKEY-ISRAEL RIFT GROWS OVER SYRIA
The strikes also come amid increasingly tense relations between Israel and Turkey over Syria. Ankara has accused Israel of trying to destabilise Syria and undermine its new administration. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on August 6 that Israel continued to threaten Syria’s security through repeated attacks and called for international pressure on Israel to respect Syria’s territorial integrity.
Turkey has become one of al-Sharaa’s main regional allies. Ankara has been training Syria’s army, supporting the rebuilding of state institutions and infrastructure, and providing military and diplomatic backing to Damascus.
It remains unclear whether Turkey was directly involved in renovating or developing the Abu al-Duhur base. Ankara has said it is assisting Syria across the country. Israel, meanwhile, has warned Turkey against moves that could strengthen Syria’s military. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has issued direct warnings to Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, saying Israel would not allow steps that increase Syria’s military capabilities in ways that could threaten Israel.
SYRIA REBUILDS ITS AIR FORCE
Israel’s concerns have intensified as Syria begins rebuilding elements of its air force. In early August, Syria conducted air exercises in the north using Russian-made MiG-21 fighter jets. The exercises were reportedly the first involving fighter aircraft since Assad’s ouster.
Israel’s Kan public broadcaster reported on August 11 that Israeli security officials had detected signs that Syria was accelerating efforts to rebuild its air force. The report cited the recruitment of new pilots, flight training and a first exercise involving fighter aircraft. Kan quoted an Israeli security source as saying Israel was closely monitoring the developments and had shared its concerns with the United States.
The reported Israeli strikes therefore come at a sensitive point in Syria’s post-Assad transition. Damascus is trying to rebuild a national military while establishing its authority over a country still shaped by years of conflict. Israel says it cannot allow Syria to develop military capabilities that could threaten its security.
– Ends
With inputs from agencies
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
