US special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack has warned that Israel’s airstrike on the Abu al-Duhur airbase in north-western Syria came close to triggering a direct military confrontation with Turkey.

Speaking on a podcast hosted by Mario Nawfal on 21 August, Barrack said the Israeli operation created a dangerous situation because Turkish forces had not been warned about the incoming aircraft. The episode was titled “BARRACK: ISRAEL'S SYRIA STRIKE RISKED A WAR WITH TURKEY”.

“If you remember, the Turks shot down a Russian aircraft under similar circumstances,” Barrack said, referring to Turkey’s downing of a Russian Su-24 near the Syrian border in November 2015. “It’s a dangerous game pushing aircraft on the border without notification and without agreement.”

Barrack was referring to the Israeli strikes on Abu al-Duhur on 18 August. Syrian state media reported that eight Israeli airstrikes hit the runway and storage facilities at the base, which is about 70km east of the Turkish border. No casualties were reported by a Syrian military source and a civilian living nearby.

The strikes prompted a dispute over why the base was targeted. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Syria was on the verge of breaching a security arrangement with Israel by allowing Turkish troops to deploy at Abu al-Duhur, and said Israel had repeatedly warned Damascus against such a move.

Turkey and Syria have rejected that account. Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said there were no plans for a Turkish military base at the site and that Turkish officers had visited as part of training and wider military cooperation. Turkey’s defence ministry later said no Turkish military delegation was at the base before or during the strike.

Barrack said Turkish forces had not been informed of the Israeli operation and could therefore have interpreted the aircraft heading towards their territory as a threat. He told Reuters that Washington was working on a communications mechanism involving Israel, Turkey and Syria to reduce the risk of accidental confrontation.

“Thankfully, calm heads were able to prevent the situation from deteriorating further,” Barrack said. Washington’s immediate priority, he added, was to lower tensions and create space for a more measured approach.

The United States had already criticised the strike. Barrack described the attack as an “unnecessary escalation that does not advance regional stability”, while calling for restraint and dialogue.

The incident has exposed growing tensions between Israel and Turkey over Syria. Ankara has become a major supporter of President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s government and has been helping train and rebuild Syria’s armed forces, while Israel has repeatedly carried out military operations in Syria since the fall of Bashar al-Assad in 2024.

The Abu al-Duhur base had been out of service as a dedicated military airfield since 2013, although it has been used as a training centre for Syria’s new army since Assad’s overthrow, according to a Syrian military source cited by Reuters.

Asaad al-Shaibani said on 20 August that Syria had assured Israel there was no plan for a permanent Turkish military presence at the base. The competing accounts over Turkey’s intended role at Abu al-Duhur remain unresolved.