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Tom Barrack: Israel and Turkey Were One Step Away from Direct Military Confrontation
Tom Barrack, the U.S. special envoy to Syria and ambassador to Turkey, said that Israel and Turkey were, yesterday, one step away from direct military confrontation.
The Hebrew-language Channel 15 reported on Wednesday that Barrack considered the Israeli airstrike on the Abu al-Duhur military airfield in Syria’s Idlib countryside a warning of a dangerous escalation that could lead to a direct clash between the two sides.
Israel carried out an airstrike on the airfield early Tuesday, targeting its runway and storage facilities in eight strikes, according to Syrian military sources. The raids caused material damage but no casualties were reported.
The Abu al-Duhur airfield is located approximately 70 kilometers from the Turkish border. It had recently undergone rehabilitation work amid reports that a Turkish military delegation had visited the site hours before it was targeted.
In an interview with Reuters, Barrack said Turkey had not received prior notification of the strike. Turkish authorities then detected Israeli aircraft heading north toward Turkish territory, which could have prompted Ankara to prepare for a military response, including scrambling fighter jets out of concern that it might be targeted.
Washington had previously announced that it was actively working to establish a “deconfliction” mechanism involving Israel, Syria, and Turkey, aimed at sharing information, maintaining dialogue, and preventing future misunderstandings.
Barrack expressed concern that the airstrikes represented an unnecessary escalation, stressing that they did not contribute to regional stability.
