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Syria strongly condemned Israeli airstrikes on the disused Abu al-Duhur Military Airbase in Idlib province on Tuesday, calling the attack a "flagrant violation" of its sovereignty.
U.S. envoy for Syria Tom Barrack said Israel is behind the strikes, criticizing what he called an "unnecessary escalation."
"We are deeply concerned that the confirmed Israeli airstrikes on Abu al-Duhur Airbase constitute an unnecessary escalation that does not advance regional stability," Barrack wrote on X.
"The Al-Sharra government has neither adopted a predatory posture nor maintained proxy forces. It has, in fact, repeatedly indicated a preference for de-escalation with Israel," he noted.
"The United States has in the past, and will continue in the future, to host discussions to encourage diplomatic cadence over kinetic frustration for both nations," Barrack wrote.
"Enduring deescalation agreements are built through sustained dialogues with all concerned nations and principals. The United States continues to believe that restraint and engagement offer the more constructive course. We encourage all parties to prioritize logical discourse over further military incidents," the U.S. envoy stated.
"The Syrian Arab Republic condemns in the strongest terms the Israeli airstrikes targeting Abu al-Duhur Military Airbase in Idlib Governorate, and considers them an unjustified act of aggression, a flagrant violation of Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and a dangerous escalation that threatens security and stability in the region," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement on X.
"Syria stresses that the continuation of these Israeli attacks since 8 December 2024, at a time when the Syrian state has exercised restraint and worked to consolidate stability and avoid escalation, once again demonstrates the Israeli occupation's attempts to undermine these efforts and drag the region towards further tension and instability," the ministry said.
"The Syrian Arab Republic holds the Israeli occupation responsible for this escalation and calls on the international community and the United Nations Security Council to clearly condemn this aggression and take a firm position against Israel's repeated violations of Syrian sovereignty," the statement said, adding that Syria "will continue to defend its rights and national interests through the legitimate means guaranteed under international law and international norms."
An Israeli aircraft carried out eight airstrikes early Tuesday targeting the runway of Abu al-Duhur Military Airbase in the eastern countryside of Idlib in northern Syria, causing material damage to the airbase's infrastructure without causing casualties, according to Al-Ikhbariyya TV.
Syrian state television quoted an unidentified military source as saying: "Israeli occupation aircraft early this morning targeted the runway... with eight strikes," adding that the attack "resulted in material damage to the airport's infrastructure, without causing casualties."
The facility has been out of service since 2012 and is currently protected by Syrian Defense Ministry forces, a security source told Agence France-Presse (AFP), which did not report casualties.
No side has claimed the strikes on the airfield, and the Israeli military told AFP it had "no comment" in response to an inquiry about the strikes.
Israel has been carrying out incursions into Syrian territory since the December 2024 overthrow of longtime ruler Bashar Assad, including sending troops into a U.N.-patrolled buffer zone that has separated Israeli and Syrian forces in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights since 1974. It has also struck key military sites, including several airfields.
Israel has launched hundreds of strikes on Syria since Assad's fall, and Israeli officials have said they intend to keep forces in a "security zone" in southern Syria, where they are seeking a broader demilitarized zone.
Damascus has repeatedly condemned incursions in the country's south.
During a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron in Damascus last month, Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa called for an "active French role" to halt Israeli escalations in the country.
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani also condemned "the continuation of Israeli military actions" last month, warning that "the unlawful occupation of our land beyond the 1974 line is a direct threat to the security of the region" and demanding an "immediate and unconditional withdrawal."
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said last week, however, that Israel plans to keep troops in Syria.
Israel captured most of the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Arab-Israeli War and later annexed the areas under its control, a move not recognized by most of the international community.
The incursions have been condemned by the U.N. secretary-general as "violations of Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity."
Despite tensions, Israel and Syria's new authorities have held several rounds of direct talks and have agreed to establish an intelligence-sharing mechanism.
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