Israeli War Minister Israel Katz issued a stark warning to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday, accusing him of “dragging Turkey into dangerous adventures in Syria” and vowing that ‘Israel’ would not “allow any actor to threaten its security”.
The rebuke, posted in Turkish on social media platform X, came as tensions between the two regional powers reached their highest point since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December 2024. Katz suggested Erdogan would be “better off continuing to deliver empty, fantastical speeches against Israel in the Turkish parliament rather than testing Israel’s determination to defend itself”.
Airstrike Sparks Diplomatic Firestorm
The exchange followed an Israeli airstrike on Tuesday targeting Syria’s Abu al-Duhur airbase in eastern Idlib province the first attack on that facility since Assad’s ouster. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed the strike was necessary because Syria was “on the verge of breaching” a security understanding with Israel by allowing Turkish forces to deploy at the base near Aleppo.
“Our message was very clear. Don’t. I guess they didn’t quite understand the message,” Netanyahu said Wednesday, suggesting Damascus had ignored repeated Israeli warnings.
Ankara Rejects Allegations
Turkey swiftly rejected Israel’s justification, with the Communications Directorate calling the claims “frivolous allegations” and “untenable” attempts to “legitimize Israel’s unlawful airstrikes targeting Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”.
Ankara accused Netanyahu of pursuing “expansionist and destabilizing policies” in the region ahead of Israeli elections, while reaffirming Turkey’s commitment to cooperating with Syria’s new government to uphold its sovereignty.
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani clarified there were “no plans to establish a Turkish military base” at Abu al-Duhur, stating the facility was “largely empty and not yet operational” and was being rehabilitated for Syrian Air Force use. He acknowledged Turkish military officers had visited the site as part of broader training and cooperation.
Regional Condemnation and US Criticism
Syria’s Foreign Ministry condemned the strike as “unjustified aggression” and a “dangerous escalation,” while Jordan and Qatar echoed similar sentiments, with Amman calling it “a blatant breach of international law and the UN Charter”.
In a rare rebuke of its ally, US Special Envoy for Syria and Iraq Tom Barrack declined to endorse Israel’s rationale, calling the strike an “unnecessary escalation” that does not advance regional stability. Barrack noted that Ahmad al-Sharaa’s government “has neither adopted a predatory posture nor maintained proxy forces” and has “repeatedly indicated a preference for de-escalation with Israel”.
Broader Confrontation Looms
Turkish Defense Minister Yaşar Güler said earlier this month that Ankara is “closely monitoring” the rise in tension caused by Israeli actions in Syria and “taking all necessary measures in response,” while stressing that Turkey is working with Damascus to uphold Syria’s sovereignty.
For his part, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has expressed Turkey’s desire to avoid confrontation with Israel in Syria, warning that repeated Israeli attacks on Syrian military facilities are eroding the new government’s ability to deter threats, including from ISIS.
“We don’t want to see any confrontation with Israel in Syria because Syria belongs to Syrians,” Fidan said.
The confrontation has been building steadily since December 2024. In April 2025, Israel struck the T4 airbase near Homs days after Turkey had reportedly scouted the site for a joint defense pact with Damascus an Israeli source told Haaretz any Turkish base near Palmyra would be treated as “a red line.”
Source: Agencies (edited by Al-Manar)