US and Syria accuse Israel of eight airstrikes on Abu Duhur airbase in Idlib
Syrian state media and US envoy Tom Barrack reported that Israeli aircraft conducted eight strikes against the Abu Duhur military airport in Idlib province early Tuesday, hitting the runway without causing casualties.
Early morning strikes in Idlib
Eight airstrikes struck the Abu Duhur military airport in the eastern countryside of Idlib province early on Tuesday morning. Syrian state television cited an unidentified military source stating that Israeli aircraft targeted the runway and storage installations at the facility. The bombardment caused material destruction to the airfield infrastructure without inflicting any reported casualties among personnel. A Syrian security source confirmed that the military installation had been out of operational service and was protected by personnel from the Syrian Ministry of Defense. Neither the Israeli military nor Turkish government officials issued an immediate public statement following the morning strikes.
Diplomatic reactions in Damascus and Washington
The Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the strike as an unjustified act of aggression and called on the United Nations Security Council to oppose violations of Syrian sovereignty. In Washington, US Special Presidential Envoy for Syria and Iraq Tom Barrack confirmed that Israeli aircraft conducted the raid on the base. Barrack, who also serves as the US ambassador to Turkey, stated that the United States was deeply concerned by the military action and urged regional actors to pursue logical discourse instead of military escalation.
The United States is deeply concerned by the confirmed Israeli airstrikes against Abu Duhur airbase, an unnecessary escalation that fails to advance regional stability.
Airbase history and Turkish rehabilitation
The Abu Duhur installation has been non-functional since 2012 due to severe destruction sustained during the Syrian civil war. Opposition armed factions captured the installation in 2015, before forces loyal to former president Bashar al-Assad recaptured the territory in late 2018. New Syrian authorities took control of the airbase following the collapse of the Assad administration in December 2024. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights stated that foreign fighters who previously stayed at the base were recently ordered to leave. The monitoring group added that a Turkish military delegation inspected the site in recent days as part of an active project by Ankara to repair and reactivate the airfield.
- Airbase goes out of service due to heavy damage during the civil war
- Opposition forces seize control of the airbase from government troops
- Forces loyal to Bashar al-Assad recapture the facility
- New Syrian authorities take control after the fall of the Assad government
- Eight airstrikes hit the runway and infrastructure of the airbase
Context of Israeli operations in Syria
The strikes on Tuesday represent the first attack on the Abu Duhur airbase since the fall of the Assad government in December 2024. Israel has executed hundreds of aerial strikes across Syria over the subsequent twenty months, seeking to destroy Syrian military assets and prevent the new authorities from restoring air capacity. Previous actions included a drone strike on a southern Damascus suburb that killed eight soldiers. Israel also deployed ground troops into the United Nations buffer zone on the Golan Heights to enforce a security zone. Although authorities in Damascus have affirmed that they do not seek a conflict with Israel, tensions between Israel and Turkey over Syria have risen since late 2024. Furthermore, Syria is now a member of the US-led international coalition against Islamic State.
