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Israel defended its strike on Syria’s Abu al-Duhur air base by telling the Trump administration it was intended to prevent a Turkish military buildup, while Ankara rejected the claim that Turkish forces were present at the site, Axios reported, citing U.S. and Israeli officials.
The attack also frustrated White House and senior U.S. officials at a time when the Trump administration is trying to prevent further regional escalation, according to Axios.
A Turkish official rejected Israel’s account.
“There was no Turkish presence at the airbase. Israel is inventing pretexts to bomb neighboring countries and destabilize the region,” the official told Axios.
Israel told the White House that the strike was aimed at deterring Türkiye from sending sophisticated weapons systems to the air base and preventing a broader military buildup there, U.S. and Israeli officials said.
The Israeli government notified White House officials before carrying out the attack.
About three hours before the strike, U.S. President Donald Trump spoke by phone with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, although it remains unclear whether the air base was discussed.
The strike took place early Tuesday at the Abu al-Duhur air base in northern Syria, about 45 miles (72 kilometers) from the Turkish border.
At least eight bombs hit the base’s runways and several hangars. The strikes damaged runways that had recently been rebuilt, but no casualties were reported.
Israel initially did not claim responsibility, and an Israeli military censor imposed a gag order on reports confirming that the Israeli military had conducted the attack.
U.S. Ambassador to Türkiye and Syria envoy Tom Barrack later disclosed on X that Israel was responsible.
Barrack said the Trump administration was “deeply concerned” about the attack and described it as “an unnecessary escalation that does not advance regional stability.”
Around 20 hours after the strike, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office acknowledged responsibility and said Syria had been “on the verge of breaching” an agreement with Israel to maintain the security status quo by allowing Turkish troops to deploy at an air base near Aleppo.
“Israel repeatedly warned Syria that such a deployment would pose a threat to Israel’s security. Syria chose to ignore these warnings,” Netanyahu’s office said.
“Israel will not tolerate threats to its security and would welcome a return to the status quo,” it added.
Türkiye’s Communications Directorate rejected the Israeli allegations and said they were being used to justify strikes on Syrian territory.
“The frivolous allegations put forward by the Israeli Prime Minister’s office aim to legitimize Israel’s unlawful airstrikes targeting Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the directorate said.
Ankara said the accusations reflected Netanyahu’s “expansionist and destabilizing policies” ahead of Israel’s October election.
“The only way to achieve this is for Netanyahu to abandon his aggressive and coercive policies and respect international law,” the Turkish statement said.
Türkiye also said it would continue cooperating with the Syrian government “on a legitimate basis” to support peace, stability and prosperity and would not allow Syria to be destabilized.
Axios reported that the strike angered White House and senior U.S. officials and again highlighted what it described as the Trump administration’s reluctance to establish a clear red line with Netanyahu.
Trump considers his approach to Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s government a foreign policy achievement and maintains close ties with Erdogan.
Israel remains a close U.S. ally, but relations between Trump and Netanyahu have become more strained in recent months.
Some senior U.S. officials also believe Israel’s October election was partly behind the timing of the strike, Axios reported.
U.S. officials said the Syrian government had not taken hostile action against Israel and had spent months trying to reach a new security arrangement aimed at lowering tensions along the border.
The Syrian government had been aware of Israel’s concerns about Abu al-Duhur and had sent messages explaining why it was rebuilding the runway, according to a person familiar with the matter cited by Axios.
Damascus also stressed that it had no hostile intentions.
One U.S. official said Syria had been pushing for weeks to implement an agreement with the U.S. and Israel to establish a joint coordination center in Jordan.
The center was intended to manage incidents and prevent escalation.
The official said the arrangement was part of the same agreement under which Syria and Israel committed to “freezing military activities.”
Israel, however, refused to operationalize the coordination center and instead increased Israeli military incursions into southern Syria, the U.S. official said.
“At a certain point, the Syrian government started changing its attitude and thinking it needs to defend itself against Israeli aggression,” a second U.S. official said.
The Trump administration asked the Syrian government to remain restrained following the strike, according to U.S. officials.
Washington also told Damascus that the issue could be easier to address after Israel’s election.
Syria condemned the attack, while Türkiye also denounced the strike.
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