Barrack, the US ambassador to Turkey and special envoy to Syria and Iraq, said that the government of interim Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa \u201chas neither adopted a predatory posture nor maintained proxy forces. It has, in fact, repeatedly indicated a preference for de-escalation with Israel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t The envoy added that the US believes \u201cthat restraint and engagement offer the more constructive course. We encourage all parties to prioritize logical discourse over further military incidents.\u201d<\/p>\n The Al Jazeera news outlet reported that the strikes hit the runway of Abu Duhur Military Airport near Idlib \u2014 some 70 kilometers (44 miles) from the border with Turkey \u2014 and the Al Hadath site described them as \u201clikely Israeli.\u201d<\/p>\n Israel has been seeking to prevent Turkish entrenchment and influence in Syria, and in the past has carried out strikes purportedly to stop Turkey from assisting in building up the new Syrian government\u2019s air force.<\/p>\n Reacting to the strikes, Turkey condemned them as a violation of international law and urged the international community to take a stronger stance against what it called Israel\u2019s \u201caggression\u201d against Syrian.<\/p>\n \u201cWe strongly condemn the airstrikes carried out by Israel\u201d overnight, Turkey\u2019s\u00a0foreign ministry said in a Turkish-language statement, adding, \u201cWe call on the international community to adopt a more resolute stance in order to bring an end to Israel\u2019s aggression against Syria\u2026 and to ensure accountability for these actions, which disregard international law.\u201d<\/p>\n \u0623\u0639\u0645\u062f\u0629 \u0627\u0644\u062f\u062e\u0627\u0646 \u062a\u062a\u0635\u0627\u0639\u062f \u0645\u0646 \u0645\u0637\u0627\u0631 \u0623\u0628\u0648 \u0627\u0644\u0638\u0647\u0648\u0631 \u0627\u0644\u0639\u0633\u0643\u0631\u064a \u0628\u0631\u064a\u0641 \u0625\u062f\u0644\u0628 \u0627\u0644\u0633\u0648\u0631\u064a\u0629 \u062c\u0631\u0627\u0621 \u0627\u0644\u063a\u0627\u0631\u0627\u062a \u0627\u0644\u0625\u0633\u0631\u0627\u0626\u064a\u0644\u064a\u0629 \u0639\u0644\u0649 \u0645\u062f\u0631\u062c \u0627\u0644\u0645\u0637\u0627\u0631 \u0648\u0645\u0648\u0627\u0642\u0639 \u0623\u062e\u0631\u0649 \u062f\u0627\u062e\u0644\u0647. https:\/\/t.co\/3WAYPHdZFe<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/u2hX6m1kzX<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Ali A.bk (@ABKt198990) August 18, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n The Abu Duhur base has been out of service as a dedicated military airfield since 2013 and has changed hands several times during Syria\u2019s 14-year civil war between forces loyal to former president Bashar al-Assad and opposition factions.<\/p>\n Since Assad was ousted in late 2024, the base has been used as a training center for Syria\u2019s new army, according to a military source.<\/p>\n According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor, the strikes came after \u201ca visit by a Turkish military delegation to the airfield in recent days as part of efforts to reactivate it.\u201d<\/p>\n 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\u2019s ouster.<\/p>\n Official says Israel shared intel with US ahead of strike<\/p>\n While Israel did not confirm or comment on the strikes, a senior Israeli official told Fox News Tuesday that Jerusalem notified Washington in advance, sharing \u201chighly sensitive intelligence\u201d related to the incident.<\/p>\n \u201cHighly sensitive intelligence was shared with the United States in advance, at the most senior levels of the various agencies and bodies,\u201d the official said, adding that Syrian president Sharaa \u201cunderstands that he cannot operate like the previous Syrian regime, which maintained proxy forces. It\u2019s possible that he didn\u2019t understand what was going on, or didn\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n The official declined to provide Fox with additional details, \u201cdue to the highly classified nature of the intelligence.\u201d<\/p>\n Senior Israeli official to Fox News when asked about the reported Israeli strikes in Syria overnight:<\/p>\n \u201cHighly sensitive intelligence was shared with the United States in advance, at the most senior levels of the various agencies and bodies,” the official said. \u201cAl-Sharaa\u2026<\/p>\n \u2014 Trey Yingst (@TreyYingst) August 18, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Kan news reported last week 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.\n<\/p>\n If confirmed to be an Israeli airstrike, it would mark the first such attack by the Israeli Air Force since March, when the IDF said it hit Syrian military camps in the country\u2019s south in response to an alleged attack on Druze civilians in the Sweida area. Before that, in July 2025, the IDF bombed the Syrian general staff command building in Damascus, also in response to attacks on the Druze.<\/p>\n The IDF has been deployed to nine posts inside southern Syria since the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, mostly within a UN-patrolled buffer zone on the border between the countries.<\/p>\n Israeli troops have been operating in areas up to around 15 kilometers (9 miles) deep into Syria, aiming to capture weapons that Israel says could pose a threat to the country if they fall into the hands of \u201chostile forces.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tUS Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack speaks in a panel during the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, in Antalya, southern Turkey, Friday, April 17, 2026. (AP\/Riza Ozel)<\/p>\n
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