Israeli strikes in Syria: Washington says it received no prior warning

The US ambassador to Turkey and special envoy for Syria, Tom Barrack, accuses Israel of failing to provide any warning before its strikes on the Abu Duhur military base in northern Syria. Tel Aviv strongly denies this version of events.

Tom Barrack described the Israeli strikes as an "unnecessary escalation" in an interview on Friday. The US envoy suggested that Tuesday's attacks on the Abu Duhur airbase might have been aimed at "provoking the Turks," who wield considerable influence in the region.

On the Israeli side, the response was immediate and decisive. Defense Minister Israel Katz asserted on Saturday, in a message posted on social media, that Israel had provided "intelligence information to authorized parties in the United States" before the strike. He denounced Barack's remarks as "full of inaccuracies and positions that contradict the position of US President Donald Trump himself," particularly on the issue of the Israeli occupation of the Syrian Golan Heights.

This point gives rise to a notable divergence: Barrack has recognized that this territory is occupied, while the first Trump administration recognized the annexation of the Golan by Israel in 2019. The plateau has been captured since the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and remains considered occupied territory under international law.

To justify the strikes, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cited fears that Turkey would deploy troops to Abu Duhur, despite repeated warnings. Ankara denied any such intention. Barack stated that the United States had concluded that the alleged military activity at the base "was not taking place."

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani stated on Wednesday that there were no plans for a Turkish military base in Abu Duhur. He clarified that Turkish officers had visited the site as part of "military cooperation in training and the exchange of expertise."

Israel has stepped up its strikes in Syria since the fall of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, occupying large swathes of southern Syria and deploying military infrastructure there. Turkey condemned this week's attacks as "reckless." Washington, for its part, is trying to facilitate dialogue between the two countries, without yet taking any concrete steps to force Israel to cease its military operations.

Syrian interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa, who maintains close ties with Washington and Ankara, reiterated that his government was not seeking confrontation with Israel. Trump, for his part, continues to display almost unconditional support for Tel Aviv, which he calls a "great ally."