US criticises Israel over ‘unnecessary escalation’ after strikes on Syrian airbase
US Criticises Israel Over Unnecessary Escalation
Poinews.com – US criticises Israel over unnecessary escalation after Israeli jets struck a Syrian airbase near the Turkish border, drawing a sharp rebuke from Washington and a wave of condemnation across the Middle East. The incident, which hit Abu Duhur airbase on Tuesday, has reignited a year-long standoff between Israel and Syria's new government and raised fresh questions about whether the fragile post-Assad order can survive repeated military provocations.
A Year of Unresolved Friction
Since insurgent forces captured Damascus in December 2024 and ended Bashar al-Assad's decades-long rule, Israel and Turkey have clashed repeatedly over Syria's strategic future. Israeli aircraft flew hundreds of sorties across the country in the months after the regime change, targeting former Syrian military depots before the new leadership could absorb their contents. Ground troops also occupied a United Nations-patrolled buffer zone in southern Syria and have remained stationed there ever since. Syria's new government has consistently said it does not seek confrontation with Israel, yet Tel Aviv has stayed deeply wary of a leadership born from Islamist insurgent ranks. US-brokered talks on a prospective security arrangement have dragged on for more than a year without producing any deal.
Eight Strikes on Abu Duhur
Syrian state television reported on Tuesday that eight separate impacts struck the runway and storage facilities at Abu Duhur airbase, located roughly 70 kilometres from the Turkish frontier. No casualties were confirmed in connection with the bombardment. Both Damascus and Ankara attributed the attacks to the Israeli military and warned they risked inflaming tensions across the wider region.
Washington's Sharp Rebuke
Tom Barrack, who holds the dual role of Donald Trump's special envoy for Syria and Iraq and US ambassador to Turkey, voiced Washington's displeasure in a post on X. He characterised the strikes as counterproductive to broader regional calm and framed them as a step backward for the diplomatic track the United States has spent over a year trying to build.
"We are deeply concerned that the confirmed Israeli airstrikes on Abu al-Duhur Airbase constitute an unnecessary escalation that does not advance regional stability."
Israel's Justification and Regional Pushback
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement claiming the base was struck because Syria had been "on the verge of breaching" a previously agreed "status quo in security matters" by permitting Turkish troops to station themselves at the site. The statement added that Israel had issued repeated cautions to Damascus that such a deployment would endanger Israeli security, and that Syria had opted to disregard those warnings.
Syria's foreign ministry labelled the bombardment "an unjustified act of aggression" and warned it threatened the region's "security and stability." Turkey did not confirm whether its forces had actually been deployed to Abu Duhur but flatly rejected the Israeli claim that Ankara posed any security threat. According to state-run Anadolu news agency, Turkey's Communications Directorate stated:
"The frivolous assumptions put forward by the Israeli Prime Minister's office aim to legitimise Israel's unlawful airstrikes targeting Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity."
Qatar, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia joined a broader chorus of regional voices denouncing the strikes, underscoring how diplomatically isolated the Israeli action appeared in the aftermath.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Abu Duhur airbase located? Abu Duhur sits roughly 70 kilometres from the Turkish border in northern Syria, placing it in a zone where Israeli, Turkish, and Syrian strategic interests intersect.
What role does the US play in the Israel-Syria standoff? Washington has brokered security talks between the two sides for over a year and, through figures like envoy Tom Barrack, has positioned itself as mediator. The latest rebuke signals that the administration views unilateral strikes as undermining that diplomatic track.
Were there casualties from the strikes? No casualties were reported in connection with the eight impacts on the airbase's runway and storage