Israel-Turkey Tensions Escalate Over Syrian Airstrike Turkey has firmly denied any military presence at the Abu al-Zuhur airbase in northern Syria following an Israeli airstrike, rejecting accusations that its forces were involved in the attack. The Turkish defense ministry spokesperson, Rear Admiral Jackie Akturk, called the Israeli strikes "unacceptable," stating that Ankara would take "firm action" to protect Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. The airbase, which was damaged during the Syrian civil war and had been out of service since 2012, became a focal point of the dispute. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Turkey of having a military delegation at the site, claiming the attack was retaliation for the Turkish presence. However, Turkey’s presidential office swiftly dismissed these claims, asserting that Ankara would not retaliate against Netanyahu’s "baseless accusations." The Turkish president’s office emphasized that it would not fall into Netanyahu’s "trap," noting that the Israeli leader’s actions were driven by domestic political pressures, including upcoming elections and internal tensions. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group, reported that the Israeli strike occurred after a Turkish military delegation visited the airbase in recent days. The group suggested the visit was part of efforts to revive the facility, which had been abandoned during the war. Turkey’s defense ministry reiterated that no Turkish military personnel were present at the airbase during the strike, stressing its commitment to supporting Syria’s sovereignty and regional stability. Netanyahu’s warnings against Turkey’s "threat" were met with firm countermeasures from Ankara.#israel #turkey #syria #benjamin_netanyahu #abu_al_zuhur_airbase
