US Condemns Israeli Strikes on Syrian Base
Eight airstrikes hit the runway and warehouses of Abu Duhur base, 70 km from the Turkish border. Turkey and Syria accused Israel, and the US envoy warned of destabilization.
Eight airstrikes hit the runway and warehouses of Abu Duhur base, 70 km from the Turkish border. Turkey and Syria accused Israel, and the US envoy warned of destabilization.
The United States issued a rare public condemnation of Israel after Israeli airstrikes targeted the Syrian military airbase of Abu Duhur, located 70 kilometers from the Turkish border. The strikes, carried out on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, were also condemned by both Turkey and Syria, which called them a threat to regional stability.
According to Syria's state television Ekhbariya, citing a military source, Israel carried out eight airstrikes on the runway and storage facilities of the Abu al-Duhur base near Aleppo in northwestern Syria. A separate military source and a civilian living near the base said there were no casualties.
The attack marks the first Israeli strike on Syrian government targets since March 2026. The Abu Duhur base has not been operational as a dedicated military airfield since 2013, and rebel forces seized it in December 2024 during an offensive that toppled Bashar al-Assad's government within two weeks.
Tom Barrack, the US ambassador to Turkey who also serves as Donald Trump's special envoy for Syria and Iraq, sharply criticized the strikes in a post on social media platform X.
"We are deeply concerned that the confirmed Israeli airstrikes on the Abu al-Duhur base constitute an unnecessary escalation that does not contribute to regional stability," Barrack wrote.
Barrack added that Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who led the rebel forces against Assad, "has not adopted or maintained proxy forces" and has "repeatedly shown a preference for de-escalation with Israel."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office did not directly comment on the strikes but stated in a statement that Israel and Syria had agreed on a status quo in security matters, which Syria was on the verge of violating by allowing Turkish troops to deploy at an airbase near Aleppo.
Syria's Foreign Ministry called the strikes an "unjustified act of aggression" that threatens regional "security and stability." Turkey did not confirm whether it had moved its troops to the Abu Duhur base, but Ankara rejected Israeli claims that it poses a threat.
"The frivolous claims made by the Israeli Prime Minister's office aim to legitimize Israel's illegal airstrikes targeting Syrian sovereignty and territorial integrity," Turkey's Directorate of Communications said in a statement carried by the state-run Anadolu agency.
Turkey's Foreign Ministry stated that the strikes violated Syria's territorial unity and integrity.
Al-Sharaa has been strengthening ties with the West since coming to power, particularly with the US, symbolized by a visit to the White House in November 2025, making him the first Syrian leader to do so. Israel has conducted airstrikes on parts of central and southern Syria since Al-Sharaa came to power, and the latest strikes are the most significant since March.
Barrack said the US would continue to offer to host diplomatic talks between the two sides to resolve "kinetic frustrations."
