Israel carried out an airstrike on a military airport in northwestern Syria on the 18th local time, which analysts say has further distanced the realization of U.S. President Donald Trump's Middle East peace vision.

According to the U.S. political media outlet Axios, Israel struck the Abu al-Duhur military airport in Syria's Idlib province, close to the Türkiye-Syria border, and explained to the U.S. side that the move was intended to prevent Türkiye from building up its military power.

The facility is located approximately 300 kilometers away from the Israel-Syria border.

Initially, Israeli military censorship authorities imposed a blackout prohibiting any reports stating that the Israeli military carried out the attack. However, Tom Barrack, the U.S. Ambassador to Türkiye and President Trump's special envoy for Syria, later revealed via social media that the attack was the work of Israel.

Ambassador Barrack stated that the Trump administration is "deeply concerned" and strongly criticized the attack as an "unnecessary escalation that does not advance regional stability."

The governments of Syria and Türkiye also condemned Israel's latest attack.

Only 20 hours after the airstrike, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office publicly acknowledged that its country carried out the attack, claiming, "Israel and Syria had agreed on a status quo regarding security matters, but Syria was about to violate the agreement by allowing Turkish troops to be deployed at an air base near Aleppo."

In response, a Turkish government official stated that no Turkish troops were deployed at the base, criticizing, "Israel is fabricating pretexts to bomb neighboring countries and trigger regional instability."

From the perspective of the Trump administration, which does not want any further escalation of tensions in the Middle East region, this airstrike is welcomed as anything but desirable.

As conflicts escalate further between Israel and key regional allies Türkiye and Syria, realizing President Trump's peace vision has become increasingly difficult.

In particular, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who decided on this airstrike, has recently repeatedly clashed with the Trump administration's Middle East policies.

Following a ceasefire agreement signed between the U.S. and Iran on April 8, the truce—which had been extended until its expiration deadline on the 17th—included a provision stipulating that a ceasefire must be achieved on all fronts, including the two countries' allied forces.

However, Prime Minister Netanyahu has continued his attacks on Lebanon and the occupation of southern Lebanon under the pretext of eradicating Hezbollah, which has served as one of the grounds for Iran's claims that the U.S. side is continuously violating the ceasefire terms.

Furthermore, relations between the two sides had already grown more strained after Netanyahu officially expressed his opposition to the Gaza peace plan being promoted by Trump, who formed a Gaza Peace Council and appointed himself as its chairman.

Amid these circumstances, Israel's execution of the airstrike on Syria has further deepened tensions in the Middle East and conflicts among U.S. allies in the region.

Recently in the United States, perceptions viewing Israel and Netanyahu as a strategic burden have been spreading across both major parties, weakening the traditionally very strong bipartisan consensus on military aid to Israel.

Meanwhile, anti-Israel sentiments have been notably pronounced among the younger generation in the U.S.

According to a poll conducted by the U.S. daily newspaper The Washington Post last month, a majority of U.S. voters and three-quarters of Democratic supporters were tallied as holding the opinion that military aid to Israel should be reduced or suspended.

(Photo: Reuters, Yonhap News)