Israel hits Syrian airbase 8 times; US split on strikes
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- Israeli airstrikes (eight) hit the Abu al-Duhur airbase in Idlib province early Tuesday, damaging the runway and storage facilities; a separate military source and a civilian living near the base said there were no casualties.
- US special presidential envoy Tom Barrack called the strikes 'an unnecessary escalation that does not advance regional stability,' but a senior Israeli official told Fox News the US had been briefed on 'highly sensitive intelligence' at the most senior levels before the operation.
- Syria's Foreign Ministry condemned the strikes as 'unjustified aggression' and urged the UN Security Council to act against Israel's 'repeated violations of Syrian sovereignty.'
- Since Assad's ouster in late 2024, Israel has seized ground in southwestern Syria and struck the Syrian military's heavy weapons, while Israel's Kan broadcaster reported on August 11 that security officials detected Syria accelerating air force rebuilding, including a first fighter aircraft exercise using Russian-made MiG-21s in early August.
- The Abu al-Duhur base, about 70 km (43.5 miles) from the Turkish border, stopped operating as a dedicated military airfield in 2013 and has been used as a training center for Syria's new army since Assad fell.
- Turkey and Israel are openly clashing over Syria: Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on August 6 Israel was threatening Syria's security, while Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has issued direct warnings to President Erdogan against moves that could strengthen Syria's military.
Why it matters: The strikes expose a recurring US-Israel split — public calls for restraint paired with advance intelligence sharing — that lets both governments deny responsibility for the other side's decisions. Syria's post-Assad military rebuild, including its first fighter jet exercises and pilot recruitment since Assad's fall, is the trigger Israel cites, while Turkey's parallel training of Syria's new army sets up Ankara-Jerusalem as the next friction point, with the Abu al-Duhur base sitting 70 km from the Turkish border.
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