Israel strikes Abu al-Duhur airbase in Syria; US envoy warns against escalation

Tel Aviv: Israel and Syria had agreed to maintain a status quo on security matters, but Syria was on the verge of breaching the understanding by allowing Turkish troops to deploy at an airbase near Aleppo, the Prime Minister's Office of Israel said on Tuesday.In a post shared on X, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had repeatedly warned Syria that such a deployment would pose a threat to its security.The Prime Minister's Office:Israel and Syria agreed to a status quo in security matters, which Syria was on the verge of breaching by permitting Turkish troops to deploy at an airbase near Aleppo.Israel repeatedly warned Syria that such a deployment would pose a threat to…— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) August 18, 2026 "The Prime Minister's Office: Israel and Syria agreed to a status quo in security matters, which Syria was on the verge of breaching by permitting Turkish troops to deploy at an airbase near Aleppo. Israel repeatedly warned Syria that such a deployment would pose a threat to Israel's security. Syria chose to ignore these warnings," the post read."Israel will not tolerate threats to its security, and would welcome a return to the status quo," it added. Overnight airstrikes hit the runway of Abu al-Duhur military airbase in eastern Idlib, northwestern Syria.Syrian state television, citing a military source, said eight Israeli strikes targeted the runway and storage facilities. No casualties were reported. Israel declined to… pic.twitter.com/wcc2y8aq0T— The Informant (@theinformant_x) August 18, 2026 The statement came after reports of Israeli airstrikes on the Abu al-Duhur Airbase in Syria, with the US Special Presidential Envoy for Syria and Iraq, Tom Barrack, expressing concern over what he called an "unnecessary escalation."Barrack said the confirmed Israeli airstrikes did not contribute to regional stability and highlighted Syria's recent efforts towards de-escalation with Israel.We are deeply concerned that the confirmed Israeli airstrikes on Abu al-Duhur Airbase constitute an unnecessary escalation that does not advance regional stability.The Al-Sharra government has neither adopted a predatory posture nor maintained proxy forces. It has, in fact,…— Ambassador Tom Barrack (@USAMBTurkiye) August 18, 2026 "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 said in a post on X.He added that the United States would continue to support dialogue and engagement over further military escalation."The United States continues to believe that restraint and engagement offer the more constructive course. We encourage all parties to prioritise logical discourse over further military incidents," Barrack said.Four airstrikes targeted Abu al-Duhur military airport in eastern Idlib province. Syrian media says Israel carried out the strikes. No official comment from the IDF or Damascus. The airport is located about 60 kilometers from the Syrian-Turkish border. pic.twitter.com/K2cpkKY5gc— Ariel Oseran أريئل أوسيران (@ariel_oseran) August 18, 2026 Earlier, Syria had accused Israel of violating its sovereignty following the strikes on the Abu al-Duhur military airbase in Idlib province.The Syrian Foreign Ministry described the strikes as a "flagrant violation of Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity" and warned that such actions could increase tensions in the region.Jordan and Qatar also condemned the strikes, calling for an end to what they described as Israeli aggression against Syria, while Turkey urged the international community to take action.Statement | Qatar Condemns Israeli Airstrikes on Abu Al Duhur Air Base in SyriaDoha | August 18, 2026The State of Qatar expresses its strong condemnation and denunciation of the Israeli airstrikes that targeted the Abu Al Duhur air base in Idlib, the Syrian Arab Republic,… pic.twitter.com/piJS01K9Uh— Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Qatar (@MofaQatar_EN) August 18, 2026 The Abu al-Duhur airbase was targeted in four airstrikes, marking the first reported attack on the facility since the fall of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government in December 2024.(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)

Eight Israeli airstrikes hit an airbase in northwestern Syria early on Tuesday, Syrian state media said, in what the US envoy for the region called an “unnecessary escalation”. Syria’s state-run Ekhbariya, citing a military source, said the attack struck the runway and storage facilities at the Abu al-Duhur base, while a separate military source and a civilian who lives near the base said there were no casualties. The Israeli military declined to comment on the strikes while the Syrian defence ministry did not respond. “We are deeply concerned that the confirmed Israeli airstrikes on Abu al-Duhur Airbase constitute an unnecessary escalation that does not advance regional stability,” Ambassador Tom Barrack, the US special presidential envoy for Syria and Iraq, said on X. “The United States continues to believe that restraint and engagement offer the more constructive course. We encourage all parties to prioritise logical discourse over further military incidents,” he added. The base, about 70 kilometres from the Turkish border, has been out of service as a dedicated military airfield since 2013 and changed hands several times during Syria’s 14-year civil war between forces loyal to former president Bashar al-Assad and opposition factions. Since Assad was ousted in late 2024, the base has been used as a training centre for Syria’s new army, according to the military source. In the months after Assad was toppled, Israel seized ground in southwest Syria and struck much of the Syrian military’s heavy weapons and equipment, as Israeli officials expressed alarm about the background of Syria’s new rulers. Israel also regularly bombed Syria when Assad was in power, aiming to roll back Iranian influence in the country. Security tensions heightened The strikes follow a heightening of security tensions between Israel and Turkiye, and increasingly sharp rhetoric between the two countries over Syria. Turkiye, which has Nato’s second-largest army, has become one of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s main allies. It has been training Syria’s army, helping it rebuild its state institutions and infrastructure, and providing military and diplomatic support. It was not immediately clear whether Turkiye was involved in renovating the base, but Ankara has said it was helping Damascus across the country. Ankara has accused Tel Aviv of trying to destabilise Syria and undermine its new administration. Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on August 6 that Israel continued to threaten Syria’s security through its repeated attacks, calling for international pressure on Israel to respect Syria’s territorial integrity. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz, for his part, has issued direct warnings to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, saying Israel would not allow steps that strengthened Syria’s military capabilities in ways that could pose a threat to Israel. Syria conducted air exercises in the north of the country in early August using Russian-made MiG-21 fighter jets, the first such exercises since Assad’s ouster. Israel’s Kan public broadcaster reported on August 11 that Israeli security officials had detected signs that Syria was accelerating efforts to rebuild its air force, including the recruitment of new pilots, flight training and a first exercise involving fighter aircraft. Kan quoted an Israeli security source as saying Israel was closely monitoring the developments and had shared its concerns with the United States.