US envoy says Israel's strike on Syrian airbase was based on false intelligence
ISTANBUL — The United States' top envoy for Syria said Saturday that intelligence behind an Israeli airstrike on a military airbase in northern Syria was wrong, adding that the attack constituted an "unnecessary escalation" that does not contribute to regional stability.
Tom Barrack, who serves as the US special envoy for Syria and Iraq and ambassador to Turkey, said on social media that Israel had shared with Washington intelligence suggesting Turkey might be moving military assets to the abandoned Abu al-Duhur Military Airbase in eastern Idlib province. Barrack said the US consulted its intelligence agencies and concluded the claim was not true.
"We consulted our intelligence agencies, and the answer we received was that this claim was not true," he said, according to reports from Dawn and The Express Tribune.
Barrack suggested there may have been "a miscommunication" among the Israeli army, Mossad and the prime minister's office, and stressed that neither the US nor Turkey was informed of the attack in advance. He described the Turkish army as "strong and brave," saying it is "very well-equipped and knows its job well."
Escalation concerns
In a separate statement reported by TASS, Barrack said the US is "deeply concerned that the confirmed Israeli airstrikes on Abu al-Duhur Airbase constitute an unnecessary escalation that does not advance regional stability."
He added that Washington will "continue in the future, to host discussions to encourage diplomatic cadence over kinetic frustration" and that the US continues "to believe that restraint and engagement offer the more constructive course."
The attack
Israeli army warplanes struck the airbase, which had been abandoned, according to footage from the scene. A Syrian official said eight attacks were carried out, targeting the runway and an inactive structure in a hangar. No information was shared on whether there were casualties or injuries.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his office had claimed that "Turkish soldiers were trying to settle at the base and were deploying military installations moving southward," according to Dawn and The Express Tribune.
Differing accounts
While Barrack's comments were consistent across the outlets that reported them, the details of the attack itself varied. TASS, citing the Syria TV channel, reported that the Israeli Air Force carried out several strikes on the Abu Duhur airfield, causing material damage, with no information about civilian casualties. The outlet also noted that, according to Reuters, the attacks targeted the runway and storage facilities.