Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani denied the existence of plans to establish a permanent Turkish military base or deployment at the Abu al-Duhur airbase in northern Syria, considering the Israeli strike that targeted it to be unjustified.
Al-Shaibani told Axios that the work underway at the base was limited to rehabilitating the runway and facilities damaged during the war, in preparation for their use by the Syrian Air Force, stressing that the site was almost empty and had not yet fully returned to operation.
Al-Shaibani acknowledged that Turkish officers had visited the base days before the strike, but said the visit was part of training and experience-sharing programs, noting that Damascus also cooperates militarily with Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Qatar and Russia.
He added that Syrian officials had informed Israel, prior to the attack, that the base would remain under Syrian sovereignty and control, and that there were no plans for a permanent Turkish military presence there. He also stated that Damascus had contacted the administration of US President Donald Trump both before and after the strike, warning that Israeli operations inside Syrian territory were escalating tensions and undermining stability.
Al-Shaibani stressed that Syria remains open to a security agreement with Israel to reduce escalation on the border, but he accused Israel of reneging on written understandings reached during a year of negotiations mediated by the United States.
Early Tuesday morning, Israel launched an airstrike on the base, dropping at least eight bombs on runways and aircraft hangars. The attack damaged recently refurbished runways, but no injuries were reported. US and Israeli sources stated that the strike was intended to prevent a Turkish military buildup at the site.
