DAMASCUS: Syria has suspended direct contacts with Israel following an Israeli airstrike on the Abu al-Duhur military airbase in northwestern Syria, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said, as tensions between the two countries continue to rise.
The Israeli military struck the Abu al-Duhur airbase in Idlib province on August 18. The attack damaged runways and other facilities but reportedly caused no casualties. Israel said the strike was aimed at preventing a potential Turkish military buildup at the facility.
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However, Damascus rejected Israel’s justification for the attack. Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said Syria had already informed Israel that the airbase would remain under Syrian sovereignty and that there were no plans to establish a permanent Turkish military base or deploy Turkish forces there.
According to al-Shaibani, rehabilitation work at the facility was intended to restore infrastructure for the Syrian Air Force after years of damage caused by the country’s civil war. He acknowledged that Turkish military personnel had visited the site but said their presence was part of broader military cooperation and training rather than the establishment of a permanent Turkish base.
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The Syrian foreign minister said the recent Israeli action had severely damaged trust between Damascus and Tel Aviv. He argued that Israel had demonstrated that it was not prepared to respect Syria’s sovereignty and was relying on military force rather than diplomacy.
Syria and Israel had been engaged in discussions aimed at reaching a security agreement, with U.S. mediation playing an important role. The talks reportedly covered issues including security arrangements, demilitarized areas and the possibility of an Israeli withdrawal from Syrian territory occupied after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government.
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Al-Shaibani said that, despite the suspension of direct contacts, Damascus had not abandoned diplomacy. He indicated that security negotiations with Israel could resume, although Syria currently has little trust in the Israeli government.
He emphasized that Syria’s immediate priority was to stop Israeli military actions before any comprehensive security agreement could be reached. Damascus wants any future arrangement to respect Syrian sovereignty and contribute to regional stability.
The latest development comes amid increasing tensions involving Syria, Israel and Türkiye. Israel has expressed concern about Türkiye’s growing military cooperation with Syria, while Ankara has rejected Israeli claims that it is establishing a permanent military presence at Abu al-Duhur.
The United States has been attempting to prevent the tensions from escalating further. U.S. Special Envoy Tom Barrack has said Washington is working on a communications and deconfliction mechanism involving Syria, Israel and Türkiye to prevent misunderstandings and accidental confrontation.
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The situation became more tense again on August 22 when Israel carried out another strike in southern Syria. Damascus condemned the attack as a violation of Syrian sovereignty.
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Despite the suspension of direct contacts, al-Shaibani has said that diplomacy remains the preferred path for Damascus. He indicated that Syria wants a security arrangement that ends Israeli military actions and provides a basis for restoring stability along the two countries’ border.
The recent developments have therefore created a difficult diplomatic situation: direct communication between Syria and Israel has been suspended following the airbase attack, but neither side appears to have completely closed the door on future negotiations.
For Damascus, however, the key condition remains clear: Israeli attacks must stop and Syria’s territorial sovereignty must be respected before meaningful progress toward a security agreement can be achieved.
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