Trump Envoy Criticizes Israel Over Syria Military Airfield Strike, Calling It "Unnecessary Tension"

The runway of a military airport in northwestern Syria was attacked by fighter jets in the early hours of the 18th, local time.

Israel was pointed to as the perpetrator of the airstrike, drawing strong criticism not only from Syria but also from the United States and Turkey.

Syrian state TV reported, citing a military source that day, that the Israeli military was behind the airstrike.

State TV stated that the Israeli military carried out eight airstrikes on the runway of the Abu al-Duhur military airport in Idlib province, northwestern Syria, near the Turkish border, resulting in material damage though no casualties.

The facility has suspended operations since 2012 and is currently manned by Syrian Ministry of Defense troops.

Israeli authorities have yet to issue a public comment regarding the airstrike, but U.S. media outlet Fox News reported that a senior Israeli official stated "highly sensitive information" regarding the matter was communicated to the U.S. side in advance.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a UK-based war monitor, reported that Turkey, a key patron of the Syrian government, has been rebuilding the base and that a Turkish delegation visited the airport a few days ago for this purpose.

Israel has previously kept Turkey's expanding influence within Syria in check.

In a statement, the Syrian Foreign Ministry slammed Israel, calling it "an unjustified act of aggression and a blatant violation of Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity," while urging the international community and the UN Security Council to clearly condemn Israel.

Tom Barrack, U.S. Ambassador to Turkey and special envoy for Syria under U.S. President Donald Trump, pointed out on X (formerly Twitter) that "the confirmed airstrike by Israel on the Abu al-Duhur air base is an unnecessary escalation of tension that does not help regional stability."

Israel has previously carried out airstrikes, suspected to be aimed at blocking Turkey from supporting the bolstering of air power for the new Syrian government.

If confirmed that the Israeli Air Force carried out this airstrike, it would mark the first such instance since last March.

Last March, the Israeli military stated that it struck a military base in southern Syria in retaliation for attacks on Druze civilians in Suwayda, southern Syria.

In July of last year, it also bombed the Syrian military general staff headquarters building in Damascus in response to attacks targeting the Druze community.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.