Turkey Responds to Israel Over Its Presence in Syria: We Will Not Fall into the Trap

Turkey has denied any presence of its forces at Syria’s Abu Dhuhur Airport, which was bombed by Israel this week, stressing that it would “not fall into Netanyahu’s trap.”

Syria, Turkey, and the United States, despite being an ally of Israel, had all accused Israel of bombing Abu Dhuhur military airport in Idlib province, which has been out of service for more than a decade.

In what amounted to an implicit acknowledgment of responsibility for the attack carried out early Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that Israel had sent Turkey a “clear” message that it must not establish military bases in Syria.

According to Israeli authorities, Syria had been close to approving the deployment of Turkish forces at the airport. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, meanwhile, reported that a Turkish delegation had visited Abu Dhuhur in preparation for reopening the facility, a claim Ankara denied.

Turkey Responds

Burhanettin Duran, director of communications at the Turkish presidency, said: “We have enough experience not to fall into the trap of figures such as Netanyahu, whose objective is to undermine peace and stability in our region.”

Meanwhile, a Turkish Defense Ministry official told reporters that “there was no Turkish military delegation at Abu Dhuhur Airport before or during the attack carried out by Israel,” according to Agence France-Presse.

The ministry’s spokesperson, Zeki Aktürk, for his part, said that “the attacks on Abu Dhuhur military airport target Syria’s stability, security, and unity, as well as its territorial integrity.” He stressed that Turkey “will resolutely continue its efforts to protect Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

U.S. envoy to Syria Tom Barrack, who is also Washington’s ambassador to Ankara, had blamed Israel for the attack and described the strikes as “unnecessary escalation” that could hinder efforts to establish stability.

Speaking to the U.S. website Axios, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said he had made clear to Israel that there were no plans to establish a Turkish military base at Abu Dhuhur air base.

Reuters sources said on Wednesday that the issue of a possible Turkish military deployment in Syria had been discussed during a rare phone call between al-Shaibani and the head of Israel’s Mossad, Roman Gofman, on August 14, just days before the attack.

Longstanding Tensions

Relations between Turkey and Israel have been strained for years, particularly following Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip and increased Israeli military activity in Syria after the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad last year.

Following al-Assad’s removal, Israeli forces carried out hundreds of airstrikes across Syria, focusing on military targets. Israel said the strikes were intended to prevent the new authorities from taking control of the former army’s arsenal.

Israeli forces subsequently advanced beyond the buffer zone in the Golan Heights, parts of which Israel has occupied since 1967, and announced plans to establish a demilitarized zone there. Israeli officials have repeatedly said that their forces do not intend to withdraw from the area.

However, the latest strike targeted an area considerably farther away than the one Israel considers its “security zone” near its border.