The US is working to set up a deconfliction mechanism between Turkey, Syria and Israel, US special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack said, after Israel struck a Syrian airbase near the Turkish border.
Mr Barrack previously said he was “deeply concerned” by Israeli strikes on a military airfield in Syria's north-western province of Idlib on Tuesday, calling the strikes “unnecessary”. Israel carried out eight air strikes against the runway of Abu Al Duhur military airfield at dawn, Syrian state television reported.
The US envoy told Reuters that Turkey had not been told about the strikes “and consequently observed the aircraft heading north toward its territory and therefore could have reasonably prepared its own [military] response”.
Israel's strikes on the Syrian airbase “reflected a perception – whether accurate or misplaced – that Turkey might in the near future increase its presence at that base”, said Mr Barrack, who is also US ambassador to Turkey.
“This underscores the need for a deconfliction mechanism involving Israel, Syria and Turkey. That is something we are actively working on to establish in order to prevent future miscommunication,” he said, adding that the focus was on reducing tensions.
Hostility between Turkey and Israel has been rising, with Syria a focus of their increasingly pointed rhetoric. Turkey condemned the strikes and rejected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's claims that Turkey was sending troops to an airbase near Aleppo.
“The frivolous allegations put forward by the Israeli Prime Minister's office aim to legitimise Israel's unlawful air strikes targeting Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Turkey's Communications Directorate said in a statement carried by the state-run Anadolu Agency.
It accused Mr Netanyahu of pursuing “expansionist and destabilising policies” in the region before Israeli elections in October.
Israel's military expanded its attacks on Syria soon after the fall of president Bashar Al Assad in December 2024, under the pretext of targeting weapons and missile depots belonging to his regime.
Israeli troops moved into a demilitarised zone in southern Syria, including Mount Hermon, which overlooks the capital, Damascus.
Since then, the Israeli military has launched strikes on Syria and seized several people in the country. Israel has also intervened with what it claims are missions to protect the ethnic minority Druze in south-west Syria.
In March, Israel said it carried out strikes on infrastructure sites belonging to the Syrian government in response to attacks against the Druze in Sweida. Syria's Foreign Ministry condemned the strikes, calling them a “blatant violation” of international law and an assault on its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Israel has also been seeking to counter what it considers to be growing Turkish influence in Syria. Ankara and Damascus have signed agreements to establish a free zone in Idlib province.
Turkey was a key backer of the Islamist-led coalition that toppled the Assad regime after almost 14 years of civil war, and has since emerged as one of the most influential outside powers in Syria.
During a meeting in April with Mr Netanyahu, US President Donald Trump appeared to acknowledge Turkey's influence in Syria, saying he told Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that he had “taken it over through surrogates”.
Mr Trump said he had told Mr Erdogan: “Congratulations, you've done what nobody's been able to do in 2,000 years. You've taken over Syria. With different names, but same thing.”
Syria's President Ahmad Al Shara has said his country is seeking to reach a security agreement with Israel. Mr Barrack said on Tuesday that the airbase attack "demonstrates the need to intensify these efforts and expand the process”.
The envoy said the US already facilitated an information-sharing and dialogue mechanism among the parties.
“What is required is a more robust architecture with greater resources committed to it. Investing in such mechanisms is far less costly than relying on kinetic means of communication that can run into the hundreds of millions of dollars,” Mr Barrack said, referring to the use of military force.
