Tom Barrack says attack on Abu al-Duhur airbase created serious escalation risks because Turkish forces lacked advance warning

DAMASCUS: An Israeli strike on Syria’s Abu al-Duhur airbase risked triggering a direct military confrontation involving Israel, Türkiye and Syria, US special envoy to Syria Tom Barrack warned on Wednesday.

Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office acknowledged responsibility for Tuesday’s attack, while Syrian authorities said Israeli aircraft carried out eight strikes against the airbase’s runway and storage facilities in Idlib province, about 70 kilometres from the Turkish border.

Barrack said Turkish forces did not know Israeli aircraft were heading toward the Syrian installation or understand their mission. Consequently, Ankara could have scrambled fighter jets after mistakenly concluding that Israel intended to attack Turkish forces.

Israel Cites Planned Turkish Deployment

Meanwhile, Israel said it acted because Syria was approaching a violation of an agreed security “status quo” by preparing to allow Turkish forces to deploy at Abu al-Duhur.

The Prime Minister’s Office said Israel had repeatedly warned Damascus that a Turkish military presence at the base would threaten Israeli security.

However, Barrack stressed that inadequate communication created a dangerous environment in which miscalculation could rapidly escalate into military confrontation.

He welcomed the absence of casualties but called Tuesday’s developments “serious and worrisome.”

Washington Pushes New Deconfliction Mechanism

Furthermore, Barrack said Washington was holding quiet discussions about restoring a permanent Israel-Syria deconfliction mechanism, potentially involving Türkiye directly or indirectly.

He proposed a round-the-clock communication centre staffed by personnel fluent in Hebrew, Arabic, English and Turkish.

Barrack said reliable diplomatic communication offered the strongest protection against unintended military encounters.

The envoy acknowledged Israeli concerns about Turkish military equipment in Syria but argued that civilian radar infrastructure required for Syrian aviation should not automatically threaten Israel.

Washington’s immediate priority, he added, remains reducing tensions between Ankara and Jerusalem before an accidental confrontation becomes difficult to reverse.