{"id":258949,"date":"2026-08-21T12:17:11","date_gmt":"2026-08-21T12:17:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/258949\/"},"modified":"2026-08-21T12:17:11","modified_gmt":"2026-08-21T12:17:11","slug":"israel-bombs-syrian-airbase-to-block-turkish-military-expansion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/258949\/","title":{"rendered":"Israel Bombs Syrian Airbase to Block Turkish Military Expansion"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBy Editorial Dept<\/a> – Aug 21, 2026, 7:00 AM CDT<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Military<\/p>\n

Israel is trying to establish a veto over where Turkey can deploy forces in Syria, and on Tuesday it bombed a Syrian airbase to enforce that. Eight strikes hit Abu al-Duhur because Israel determined that Damascus was gearing up to allow Turkish troops onto the base, despite repeated Israeli warnings against that. Turkey was not notified before the attack. The Turkish military saw Israeli aircraft flying north toward the Turkish border without knowing their target, creating what Washington viewed as a real risk of Turkish fighters being scrambled and a direct military confrontation between Israel and Turkey.<\/p>\n

Israel claims that Damascus was taking steps to let Turkish forces on the base that violated Syria\u2019s security \u201cstatus quo\u201d with Israel.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The fight is over how much of Syria Turkey can turn into a permanent military position. Ankara is already training the Syrian army and helping rebuild bases and other military infrastructure in deals with the new government of Ahmed al-Sharaa.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Abu al-Duhur is about 70 km from the Turkish border, had been out of service as a dedicated military airfield for more than a decade, and was being refurbished with Turkish support. For Israel, the problem is that this base would bring Turkish forces deeper into northwestern Syria, and closer to Israel, with Syria benefiting from Turkish military training and other agreements that Israel views as a threat to its own borders.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Israel has enjoyed wide freedom to strike inside\u2026\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Israel is trying to establish a veto over where Turkey can deploy forces in Syria, and on Tuesday it bombed a Syrian airbase to enforce that. Eight strikes hit Abu al-Duhur because Israel determined that Damascus was gearing up to allow Turkish troops onto the base, despite repeated Israeli warnings against that. Turkey was not notified before the attack. The Turkish military saw Israeli aircraft flying north toward the Turkish border without knowing their target, creating what Washington viewed as a real risk of Turkish fighters being scrambled and a direct military confrontation between Israel and Turkey.<\/p>\n

Israel claims that Damascus was taking steps to let Turkish forces on the base that violated Syria\u2019s security \u201cstatus quo\u201d with Israel.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The fight is over how much of Syria Turkey can turn into a permanent military position. Ankara is already training the Syrian army and helping rebuild bases and other military infrastructure in deals with the new government of Ahmed al-Sharaa.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Abu al-Duhur is about 70 km from the Turkish border, had been out of service as a dedicated military airfield for more than a decade, and was being refurbished with Turkish support. For Israel, the problem is that this base would bring Turkish forces deeper into northwestern Syria, and closer to Israel, with Syria benefiting from Turkish military training and other agreements that Israel views as a threat to its own borders.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Israel has enjoyed wide freedom to strike inside Syria since Assad fell, attacking military facilities and government targets whenever it identifies an existing threat or a potential one. Once Turkish troops, aircraft or air defenses are stationed at Syrian bases, Israel can no longer strike those facilities without risking a direct confrontation with Turkey. Israel is trying to stop those deployments before they happen. The fact that Turkey is a member of NATO and a U.S. ally should make Tel Aviv uncomfortable, but it recognizes no limits in this area. There is a loophole in terms of NATO protection, and it doesn\u2019t include Turkish troops deployed on foreign soil. Attacking Turkish troops will raise the political costs for Israel, but it won\u2019t stop Israel.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This will also be enormously complicated for Washington\u2019s efforts to stabilize al-Sharaa\u2019s government. The U.S. has heavily invested in bringing Damascus back into the friendly fold, and Turkey is its main military backer. Israel, also punching above its weight brazenly, is willing to go head-to-head with Washington to keep Turkey out.<\/p>\n

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