Israel strikes Syria to prevent deployment of soldiers by Turkey troops, calls Erdogan an ‘anti-Semitic dictator: Details

Israel targets Syrian airbase in order to stop Turkey from sending troops there.
Image via NDTV

Geopolitical tensions continue to loom over the Middle East as Israel targeted an air base in northwest Syria, stating that its objective was to hinder the deployment of Turkish troops in the area. This event occurred early on 18th August (Tuesday). The office of the Prime Minister of Israel stated, “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. Israel will not tolerate threats to its security, and would welcome a return to the status quo,” it further charged.

“Our message was very clear: Don’t. I guess they didn’t quite understand the message,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu retorted in a video message. According to state TV, there were 8 hits which caused damage but no injuries on the runway of the Abu Duhur air base in the northwest province of Idlib.

Asaad al-Shibani, Syria’s foreign minister, told reporters in Damascus that his country denounces the “Israeli aggression,” and the action was termed “an unjustified provocation, a violation of Syria’s sovereignty, and a direct threat to regional and global stability.”

According to al-Shaibani, he had assured Israel that there were no intentions to build a Turkish military facility at Abu al-Duhur, reported Axios. He mentioned that Turkish military officers had been to the base in northwest Syria a few days prior to the assault. He emphasised that the visit was a part of “ongoing military cooperation in the areas of training and the exchange of expertise.”

The Turkish defence ministry also asserted that its military delegation was not present at the site before or during the offensive and declared that the country will continue to support Syria’s efforts to improve its own military capabilities and infrastructure. “It is essential for the peace and ​stability of both Syria and the region that Israel ceases such reckless attacks and complies with the requirements of international law,” it remarked.

The Foreign Ministry of Turkey also condemned the attack and urged “the international community to take a more decisive stance to end Israel’s escalating aggression against Syria and to ensure accountability for these actions that disregard international law.”

United States President Donald Trump was informed about the strikes but refused to talk about it. However, US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack, who also serves as Washington’s special envoy to Syria, denounced the attack. “We are deeply concerned that the confirmed Israeli airstrikes on Abu al-Duhur Airbase constitute an unnecessary escalation that does not advance regional stability,” he wrote on social media.

However, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz warned Erdogan against “dragging Turkey into dangerous adventures in Syria,” telling him to continue his “detached-from-reality, fanciful rhetoric against Israel in the Turkish Grand National Assembly,” instead of “testing Israel’s determination to defend itself.”

Israel also referred to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan as an “antisemitic dictator” just a few hours after Netanyahu was made the subject of an international arrest warrant issued by Ankara as part of an inquiry into the Jewish state’s intervention in relation to an activist flotilla headed for Gaza.

“Erdogan is an antisemitic dictator who has massacred Kurds, harbours Hamas terrorists, occupies half of Cyprus, and jails record numbers of journalists and politicians who oppose him. He now seeks to extend his aggression against Israel into Syria. Israel will not tolerate it. Erdogan’s pathetic attempt to intimidate the leaders and soldiers of Israel, the only true democracy in the Middle East, will go nowhere,” Israel lashed out.

In a statement released by the president’s office, Turkey condemned Netanyahu’s “petty political tactics” in the mounting diplomatic spat between the two nations. It criticised the attempt “to present Turkey as a new threat” by the Netanyahu government.

Turkey has strong ties to the Syrian government, headed by former al-Qaeda terrorist President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who overthrew Bashar al-Assad’s 24-year-long regime and has been supporting its armed forces. Meanwhile, the relationship with Israel is deeply strained. Both Ankara and Tel Aviv have attempted to contain each other’s influence in their neighbour Syria.

Written by OpIndia Staff
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