US criticises Israel over ‘unnecessary escalation’ after strikes on Syrian airbase

The US has criticised Israel for striking a Syrian military base near the Turkish border, describing the attack as an “unnecessary escalation.” Syrian state TV said eight strikes targeted the runway and storage facilities at Abu Duhur airbase on Tuesday. No casualties were reported. Donald Trump’s special envoy for Syria and Iraq, Tom Barrack, who also serves as US ambassador to Turkey, criticised the Israeli strikes in a social media post. "We are deeply concerned that the confirmed Israeli airstrikes on Abu al-Duhur Airbase constitute an unnecessary escalation that does not advance regional stability," Barrack wrote on X. Damascus and Ankara accused the Israeli military of carrying out the attacks, warning they risked heightening tensions across the region. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement that Israel had attacked the base because Syria had been “on the verge of breaching” an agreed-upon “status quo in security matters” by allowing Turkish troops to deploy there. “Israel repeatedly warned Syria that such a deployment would pose a threat to Israel’s security. Syria chose to ignore these warnings,” the statement said. Syria’s foreign ministry condemned the strikes as “an unjustified act of aggression,” warning they threatened regional “security and stability.” Ankara did not say whether Turkish forces had been deployed to the Abu Duhur base, located around 70 kilometres from the Turkish border, but rejected Israel’s claims that Turkey posed a security threat. "The frivolous allegations put forward by the Israeli Prime Minister's office aim to legitimise Israel's unlawful airstrikes targeting Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity," Turkey’s Communications Directorate said, according to state-run news agency Anadolu. Qatar, Egypt and Saudi Arabia were among several countries in the region to condemn the strikes. Tensions between Israel and Turkey over Syria have grown since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December 2024, when insurgent forces took control of Damascus. Israel has since carried out hundreds of strikes across Syria, largely targeting former Syrian military assets to prevent them from falling into the hands of the country’s new authorities. Israeli forces also took control of a UN-patrolled buffer zone in southern Syria, where they remain deployed. Syria’s new authorities have said they do not seek conflict with Israel, while Israel has remained wary of the government led by former Islamist insurgents. US-mediated talks between Israel and Syria over a potential security agreement have been under way for more than a year, but have yet to produce a deal.