August 18, 2026 | 10:57 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Eight Israeli airstrikes hit an unused airbase in northwestern Syria's Idlib province early on Tuesday, Syrian state media reported, in attacks widely condemned by Damascus and Washington.
The attacks struck the runway and storage facilities at Abu al-Duhur base, Syrian state-run broadcaster Al-Ikhbariya reported, some 70 kilometers (43.5 miles) from the Turkish border.
Turkey is a key ally of Syria's interim government, in power since ousting former President Bashar Assad in a December 2024 lightning offensive.
What else do we know about the Israeli airstrikes on the Idlib airbase?
Syrian state media, quoting a military source, said that "Israeli occupation aircraft early this morning targeted the runway" of the base "with eight strikes," damaging infrastructure but without causing casualties.
The facility has been out of service as a dedicated military base for over a decade. The Reuters news agency cited an unnamed military source as saying it has been used as a training center for Syria's new army since Assad's 2024 ouster.
Israel has yet to officially comment on the attacks.
They come on the heels of a Turkish military delegation's visit to the airfield, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor. According to the UK-based monitor, the visit was part of efforts to reactivate the base.
How did the US, Syria react to the attacks?
Tom Barrack, US ambassador to Turkey and special presidential envoy for Syria and Iraq, condemned the Israeli strikes in a post on X.
"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 wrote.
He defended Syria's interim administration of Ahmed al-Sharaa, who once led an Al-Qaeda-affiliated militant group but has since distanced himself from Islamist militancy. Barrack stressed Sharaa's administration "repeatedly indicated a preference for de-escalation with Israel."
"We encourage all parties to prioritize logical discourse over further military incidents," he said.
Syria's Foreign Ministry also condemned the strikes, calling them "an unjustified act of aggression."
It urged the international community and the United Nations Security Council to "take a firm position against Israel's repeated violations of Syrian sovereignty."
The "continuation of these Israeli attacks" since December 2024 came while Syria "has exercised restraint and worked to consolidate stability and avoid escalation," it added.
Tense Israeli-Turkish relations overshadowed by Syria
Since Assad's ouster, Israel has launched hundreds of strikes on Syria, sending troops to a United Nations-patrolled buffer zone that had separated Israeli and Syrian forces in Syria's Israeli-occupied Golan since 1974.
The Israeli army has also carried out regular incursions deeper inside Syrian territory.
Israeli officials have declared their intention to keep forces in a self-declared "security zone" in southern Syria.
Turkey has accused Israel of trying to destabilize Syria and its new administration, which Ankara has been helping by training its army and assisting with building its state institutions and infrastructure.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has directly warned Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, stressing Israel would now allow steps that strengthen Syria's military capabilities in ways that could threaten Israel.
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