Jerusalem [Israel], August 23 (ANI): Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar has said Israel has “no interest” in escalating tensions with Turkiye amid a dispute over last week’s Israeli strike on Syria’s Abu al-Duhur military airbase, Al Jazeera reported.
“We are committed to preserving the status quo,” Saar said, adding that Israel prefers a diplomatic solution.
The Israeli Foreign Minister, however, stressed that Israel would not accept the establishment of Turkish bases in Syria, according to Al Jazeera.
The remarks came after Israel carried out airstrikes on the Abu al-Duhur military airport in Syria’s eastern Idlib province, citing intelligence that suggested Turkiye was planning activities at the facility that could threaten Israeli security.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz on Saturday said the military had recommended targeting the Syrian airbase several times based on intelligence regarding alleged Turkish plans to deploy forces there.
“The IDF recommended several times carrying out the strike on the Abu Duhur airport in Syria in light of the clear intelligence received regarding Turkey’s intentions to carry out activities there that would endanger the security of the State of Israel,” Katz said, according to The Times of Israel.
Katz said consultations were held with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and military leadership before the operation was approved. He added that a direct warning was issued to the Syrian government at the highest levels in an attempt to prevent the move, but it went unanswered.
He said Israeli and US officials were briefed on the intelligence before the strike was carried out.
Earlier, Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter said Israel had received intelligence indicating that Turkiye intended to significantly expand its military presence in Syria, describing the move as crossing a “red line”, The Jerusalem Post reported.
“Those who needed to be exposed to the intelligence received it. Those who needed to know what was coming knew. We made clear that this was a violation of our understandings and that is why Israel acted as it did,” Leiter said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had also said Israel sent a “clear message” to Turkiye over alleged plans to establish a military foothold in Syria, warning that Israel would not tolerate Turkish military presence moving south.
However, Turkiye has rejected Israel’s claims. According to Al Jazeera, the Turkish Defence Ministry said no Turkish military delegation was present at the Abu al-Duhur airbase before or during the Israeli attack.
Syrian authorities also denied reports of plans to establish a permanent Turkish military base at the facility, though they acknowledged that Turkish officers had previously visited the airbase as part of military cooperation involving training and exchange of expertise.
Meanwhile, Israeli Defence Forces announced another operation in southern Syria, saying it had fired at a person described as a “terrorist” who was allegedly in the final stages of preparing attacks.
“The IDF will continue to operate in order to remove any threat to IDF soldiers and Israeli civilians,” the force said. (ANI)