Israeli planes struck Abu Al-Duhur, a Syrian airbase, on August 18, dropping eight bombs, destroying a main runway and, even more important, devastating storage facilities containing what Israel knew was Turkish weaponry. Israel had information that the Turkish army was just about to deploy troops at the base, which could then be used both to wage war on Kurds inside Syria whose presence so disturbs the Turks, and to threaten Israel by better monitoring Israeli planes in Syrian airspace. The attack on the base occurred just after a visit by Turkish military officers to the site. “Israel confirms it struck Syrian military airport, claiming Turkey was planning to deploy forces,” by Emanuel Fabian, Times of Israel, August 18, 2026:
The Prime Minister’s Office says Israel “repeatedly warned Syria that such a deployment would pose a threat to Israel’s security.”
“Syria chose to ignore these warnings,” the PMO says, adding that Israel “will not tolerate threats to its security, and would welcome a return to the status quo.”…
More on the airbase attack, and Israel’s determination to prevent Turkey from deploying its troops at the base, can be found here: “Strikes on Syrian air base sharpen Israel-Turkey rivalry over Syria,” by Alex Schloss, i24News, August 18, 2026:
Eight air strikes hit a military air base in northwestern Syria early Tuesday, damaging its runway and storage facilities and adding new tension to the struggle over Syria’s future.
Syrian authorities blamed Israel for the August 18 attack on the Abu al Duhur air base in eastern Idlib province. Turkey and US envoy Tom Barrack also publicly referred to the attack as Israeli. Israel has since acknowledged its role in the strike, citing a Turkish buildup as the motivating factor….
Though at first the Israelis were silent on the attack, they soon reconsidered, and announced that they had indeed struck the airbase.
The attack was on a Syrian airbase, but the real target was Turkey, that the Israelis knew was just about to deploy its own troops at the base, with Syria’s full approval. The Turks are, of course, full of injured innocence. How can those Israelis be so aggressive when we Turks, had no intention of deploying troops at the airbase? The mad dogs of Tel Aviv need to be stopped by international pressure. But the Israelis will not succumb to pressure: look at how they turned down Trump’s plan for Gaza. They’ve made clear that only when Hamas has completely disarmed will a single Israeli soldier pull out of Gaza. And the Israelis knew exactly what the Turks had planned for the Al-Duhur airbase inside Syria.
Abu al Duhur lies about 70 kilometers, or 44 miles, from the Turkish border, and former Turkish ambassador Cengiz Kamil Fırat told i24NEWS’ Middle East Now that the location made the attack particularly dangerous.
“This was quite reckless. This was quite near to the Turkish border.”
But that was precisely the point. The Israelis refuse to allow large numbers of Turkish troops to occupy an airbase only 44 miles from their border. The weapons in the warehouses that Israel destroyed almost certainly belonged to Turkey. The IDF is closely monitoring Turkey’s moves in Syria, and will continue to make it more difficult for Ankara to project its military power so much closer to Israel.
Fırat said the strike should be seen as part of a broader escalation between Israel and Turkey.
“There’s an escalation, there’s an aggressive behavior coming from the Israeli side with actions, not only words, but actual actions.”…
The escalation was coming not from Israel, but from Turkey. It had been moving weapons into warehouses at the Abu Al-Duhur airbase, and Israel became aware that it was just about to deploy its troops at the base. Hence the attack on the runway to prevent Turkish troop planes from landing, and on the warehouses, in order to reduce to rubble Turkish weapons, including radar, and anti-aircraft defense missiles, that Turkey had — the IDF knew from the Mossad — been storing at the airbase. The Turks already occupy, with Al-Sharaa’s approval, 5% of Syria’s land area, while “aggressive” Israel has taken over less than 1% of Syria. Turkey will continue to try to make use of Syrian military infrastructure, and Israel will continue at every step to foil them. Think of Wile E. Coyote and the Road-Runner.
Firat, the retired Turkish diplomat, knows full well that Syria has not attacked Israel because it is weak; as soon as it gets stronger, all bets are off.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
Despite the headline, this was more a warning to Ankara than an attack on the HTS regime. The latter actually has been behaving as far as Israel goes, but they’ve still not turned on their benefactor to their north. Israel is making it clear to them that it’ll tolerate Turkish presence in that country about as much as it tolerated the islamic republican presence in that country
Billy says
Turkey, Syria, Iran, and the 50+ Islamic Countries are Terrorist States against all Non-Muslims using Muslim discrimination, segregation, deceit, hatred, violence, and terrorism as taught Islamic Law and in Islam’s Qur’an(Qur’an 9:5, 29, 41, 111; 49:15, etc.). Islam’s Muslims are to engage in war for Allah’s sake to make Islam, Islamic Law, supreme over all. Hence, Muslims, Terrorists of Allah, receive a great reward when they engage in war for Allah against Allah’s enemies, the Non-Muslims, whether Muslims live or die.
Public funding is a privilege that should not be granted to organizations that are against the US Constitution. Islam is against the US Constitution for funding, teaching, and promoting discrimination, segregation, violence, and terrorism. Allah in Qur’an 4:74 says, “So let those who purchase the world’s life for the hereafter engage in war for the sake of Allah. And whoever engages in war for the sake of Allah, whether he is killed or victorious, so we will give him a great wage.” Allah’s Muslims, children of the Serpent(Genesis 3:15), desire to make Islamic Law DBA Islam dominant using Sharia and their man-made book of lies and deceit, the Qur’an, when Allah promises Paradise to Muslims if Muslims kill and are killed in war against Non-Muslims for Allah’s Cause to make Islam supreme(Qur’an 4:95; 9:5, 29, 41, 111, etc.).
Cynthia says
Turkey is Sunni Muslim Brotherhood, just as jihad minded as Shia Iran. They intend to wipe out the Kurds, take over all of Cypress, and conquer Israel as the new savior caliphate for Islam. There will never be peace in that region with Islam that is always committed to conquest.
Israel has to keep defending, preempting, and innovating to stay ahead of this scourge.
Am Yisrael Chai says
Good news, but of course they will cry to the world, who will largely believe, that Israel is the true aggressor.
Shema Yisrael!
Bisley says
As I see it, Erdogan is trying to rebuild the Ottoman Empire, with himself as Sultan. His power installed the present leadership in Syria, he intends to replace the UN force in Lebanon with Turkish troops, overthrow and replace the Jordanian monarchy, and is working to put Turkish “peacekeepers” into Gaza. If he can surround and isolate Israel, he intends to destroy it. If successful, he will move on to Arabia, Egypt, Libya, etc. Netanyahu and his associates can also see Erdogan’s intentions with respect to Israel, and are hoping to thwart them before they’re surrounded by Turks.
gravenimage says
+1