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Israeli airstrikes hit Syrian airbase, US envoy concerned over escalation

Eight Israeli airstrikes hit an airbase in northwestern Syria early on Tuesday, Syrian state media said, in what the US envoy for the region called an “unnecessary escalation”. Syria’s state-run Ekhbariya, citing a military source, said the attack struck the runway and storage facilities at the Abu al-Duhur base, while a separate military source and a civilian who lives near the base said there were no casualties. The Israeli military declined to comment on the strikes while the Syrian defence ministry did not respond. “We are deeply concerned that the confirmed Israeli airstrikes on Abu al-Duhur Airbase constitute an unnecessary escalation that does not advance regional stability,” Ambassador Tom Barrack, the US special presidential envoy for Syria and Iraq, said on X. “The United States continues to believe that restraint and engagement offer the more constructive course. We encourage all parties to prioritise logical discourse over further military incidents,” he added. The base, about 70 kilometres from the Turkish border, has been out of service as a dedicated military airfield since 2013 and changed hands several times during Syria’s 14-year civil war between forces loyal to former president Bashar al-Assad and opposition factions. Since Assad was ousted in late 2024, the base has been used as a training centre for Syria’s new army, according to the military source. In the months after Assad was toppled, Israel seized ground in southwest Syria and struck much of the Syrian military’s heavy weapons and equipment, as Israeli officials expressed alarm about the background of Syria’s new rulers. Israel also regularly bombed Syria when Assad was in power, aiming to roll back Iranian influence in the country. Security tensions heightened The strikes follow a heightening of security tensions between Israel and Turkiye, and increasingly sharp rhetoric between the two countries over Syria. Turkiye, which has Nato’s second-largest army, has become one of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s main allies. It has been training Syria’s army, helping it rebuild its state institutions and infrastructure, and providing military and diplomatic support. It was not immediately clear whether Turkiye was involved in renovating the base, but Ankara has said it was helping Damascus across the country. Ankara has accused Tel Aviv of trying to destabilise Syria and undermine its new administration. Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on August 6 that Israel continued to threaten Syria’s security through its repeated attacks, calling for international pressure on Israel to respect Syria’s territorial integrity. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz, for his part, has issued direct warnings to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, saying Israel would not allow steps that strengthened Syria’s military capabilities in ways that could pose a threat to Israel. Syria conducted air exercises in the north of the country in early August using Russian-made MiG-21 fighter jets, the first such exercises 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, including 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.