Jerusalem, August 23: Israel has informed the United States that Turkey is preparing to deploy radar systems and air defense equipment at a military airbase in Syria.
According to a report from Israel’s Kan TV News, Israeli security officials conveyed to Washington that this move by Turkey could significantly alter the balance of power in the region.
Sources related to the matter told the channel that Israel did not provide a specific timeline for Turkey’s potential deployment. However, they identified the Abu al-Duhur military airbase in northwestern Syria as a likely location. This airbase was targeted by the Israeli Air Force on Tuesday, escalating tensions between Turkey and Israel.
Tom Barrack, the U.S. special envoy for Syria, stated that Israel did not inform the U.S. about the attacks prior to their execution.
As reported by Xinhua News Agency, an Israeli official indicated that these strikes were aimed at preventing Turkish equipment or troops from reaching the airbase via air routes.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz mentioned that the attacks were based on “clear intelligence” regarding Turkey’s plans. He noted that Turkey was preparing to take steps that could pose a threat to Israel’s security. Katz also stated that Syria was diplomatically warned before the attacks took place.
On Saturday, Katz revealed that prior to the strike on the Abu al-Duhur airbase, the military directly warned senior Syrian officials to prevent this action.
He said, “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and I held several meetings with the military (IDF) and other security officials. It was decided that a direct warning would be sent to the highest levels of the Syrian government before approving any action to prevent this step. And we did just that.”
He added, “When we received no response to our warning, the Prime Minister and I authorized the IDF to carry out the attack. The operation was then initiated and was successful.”
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