None.

Explosions heard in Syria’s Deraa countryside

Syrian state television is reporting that explosions were heard in the western countryside of Deraa, and authorities are investigating their nature.

Mossad chief called Syrian FM over Turkish military presence before airbase strike: Report

The Reuters news agency reports, citing three sources, that the head of Israel’s spy agency Mossad held a phone call with Syria’s foreign minister on August 14 to discuss Turkey’s military presence in Syria, just days before Israel bombed a Syrian airbase.

The call between Mossad chief Roman Gofman and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani represented one of the highest-level contacts to date between Israel and the Damascus administration led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

According to Reuters, the same sources said that Turkey’s military role in Syria dominated the conversation, with Gofman raising concerns over Ankara’s expanding military presence, arms sales, and drone deliveries to the Syrian army.

Following Israel’s strike on the Abu al-Duhur airbase on Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Damascus was on the verge of allowing Turkish troops to deploy at the facility, despite repeated warnings from Israel that such a move would endanger its security.

Turkey’s defence ministry, the Israeli prime minister’s office—which handles inquiries for Mossad—and Shaibani’s spokesperson all declined to respond to requests for comment from Reuters.

The Israeli preemptive attacks are based on a statement, Menachem Begin  made in 1968 at the UNGA: "Make sure that no enemy has a reactor." 

In the context of the Turkish presence in Syria since 2017, it's "Make sure that no one is a threat to us."

In the context of Israeli attacks on the Syrian army's weapon depots since December 2024: "Make sure that the enemy cannot to defend itself."

Israeli strike on airbase had no justification, Syria’s foreign minister says

Syria’s foreign minister says that Israel had no legitimate grounds for striking the Abu al-Duhur airbase this week, rejecting Israeli claims that the site was being used to establish a Turkish military presence.

“There was no intention to establish a Turkish base there, nor to establish a permanent Turkish military presence or deploy Turkish forces at the site,” Asaad al-Shaibani told Axios. He said the base “was, in fact, largely empty”, adding that work there “was limited to rehabilitating the airfield and its facilities that were damaged during the war” for use by the Syrian Air Force.

Al-Shaibani acknowledged that Turkish officers had visited the base days before the strike, but described it as “ongoing military cooperation in the areas of training and the exchange of expertise”, comparable to Syria’s cooperation with Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Qatar, and Russia. “Syria is a sovereign state, and it has the right to establish relations of cooperation and alliance with any country, including Turkiye,” he said.

He said Damascus had told Washington it does “not trust Israel’s intentions towards Syria, and we believe current Israeli policy… does not contribute to stability in Syria or the region”.

Al-Shaibani said Syria remains open to a security agreement, but added: “De-escalation cannot be the responsibility of one side alone.”

Israeli defence minister warns Erdogan against ‘dangerous adventures’ in Syria

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz warned Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan against intervening in Syria, saying he is “dragging Turkiye into dangerous adventures”.

In a post on X, Katz said Israel “will not allow any entity to threaten its security”.

He added that “it is preferable for Erdogan to continue delivering empty, delusional speeches against Israel in the Turkish parliament rather than testing Israel’s resolve to defend itself.”

Israeli opposition leader slams Netanyahu as an ‘extremist and unreliable figure’ over Syria strike

Israel’s opposition Democrats party leader Yair Golan criticised the recent strike in Syria, calling it a “provocative and dangerous move” that risks pushing the country into a confrontation with Turkiye.

In a post on X, Golan said military force was being used for “political considerations” and accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of acting as an “extremist and unreliable figure”.

He added that Netanyahu “erodes trust in Israel” and argued the country needs leadership that wields power to achieve security rather than generating “yet another war for political survival”.

His remarks came after Israeli warplanes carried out eight air strikes on Tuesday, hitting the runway at the Syrian Abu al-Duhur military airbase.

US pressure on Israel needed for peace in Syria

A day after a suspected Israeli attack on the Abu al-Duhur airbase near Idlib, northwest Syria, US Ambassador to Turkiye Tom Barrack has suggested creating a “deconfliction mechanism” between Turkiye, Syria and Israel. Barrack called the original attack – which he, along with the Syrian government, blamed on Israel – an “unnecessary escalation”.

But despite the intervention from the US official, analysts believe the proposal may not be able to stop Israel, which has conducted regular attacks on Syria for years, and continues to occupy Syrian territory.

“It is difficult to have a deconfliction mechanism [when] only one party [is] causing conflict in the first place,” Samy Akil, a senior adviser with The Syria Report, said.

It was not an "suspected" Israeli attack. The following reactions came after the attack:

• US expresses ‘deep concern’ over Israeli strikes on Syria.
• Qatar condemns Israeli air strikes on Syria airbase.
• Turkish FM condemns Israeli strikes on Syrian airbase.
• UAE condemns Israeli strikes on Abu al-Duhur airbase in Idlib.
• Syria condemns Israeli strikes in UN letter.

Turkey says it will continue to counter Israel’s ‘destabilising activities’ in Syria

Ankara will continue to stand with Syria and counter the “destabilising activities” of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Turkish presidency’s director of communications has said.

“He sees hostility toward Turkey as a political lifeline,” Burhanettin Duran said, according to the Anadolu news agency. “Moreover, in competition with other radical parties, he is fuelling hostility toward Turkiye and other countries in the region.”

The remarks come after Israeli warplanes carried out eight air strikes on Tuesday, hitting the runway at the Syrian Abu al-Duhur military airbase.

Turkish FM discusses Gaza, Syria and Hormuz with Saudi, Egyptian counterparts

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan says he has discussed several regional issues with his Egyptian and Saudi counterparts.

Fidan spoke to Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty on the latest developments in Syria, the Gaza peace plan and the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, he said in a post on X.

“As three brotherly countries that desire peace and prosperity in our region, we will continue to strengthen our cooperation and coordination in every field”, he said.

UN envoy condemns Israeli air strike on Syrian airbase

The Israeli strike on the Abu al-Duhur airbase “was a deplorable escalation in Israel’s attacks on Syria,” says Claudio Cordone, deputy special envoy of the UN secretary-general to Syria. In a short statement on social media, he called for diplomacy and respect for Syria’s territorial integrity.

The attack on Tuesday in the eastern Syrian province of Idlib damaged the runway and other facilities. No casualties were reported.

Israel said it carried out the attack because it believed Syria was about to breach the status quo between the two nations “by permitting Turkish troops to deploy at an airbase near Aleppo”, according to the Israeli prime minister’s office.

Syria, Turkiye, the United States and various Middle Eastern countries condemned the attack.

Syria strikes were response to intelligence suggesting Turkish military presence in Syria: Israeli official

“We are not seeking escalation or war with either Turkey or Syria. But a red line was crossed,” Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, has told the Jerusalem Post.

Leiter claims Israel struck Syria this week based on intelligence that Turkiye was planning to expand its military presence in Syria, which the ambassador described as “a blatant Turkish violation”.

Israel on Tuesday struck the Abu al-Duhur airbase in Syria, near the city of Aleppo, damaging its runways. The ambassador claimed that the strikes preceded Turkish forces arriving at the base.

He also claimed that Israel and the Syrian government agreed “to limit Turkish advances in Syria” during a January meeting with the United States in Paris.

Turkiye’s ministry of defence denied the presence of a Turkish military delegation at the Abu al‑Duhur airbase, demanding that Israel halt its attacks and comply with international law. Syria’s Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani also said his government had no plans to welcome a Turkish military presence in Syria.

".. based on intelligence that Turkey was planning to expand its military presence .."

• Turkish presence in Syria began in 2016 with the operation Euphrates Shield in the northwestern part of Aleppo province.
• In 2017, Turkish troops arrived in Idlib province to built outposts amid Russian presence
• Turkey expanded its presence in Idlib province and along its southern border but inside Syria..
• On June 4, 2026, Turkish officials have stated that they have no immediate plans to withdraw their forces, maintaining that a pullout will only be considered when border security is fully ensured and security threats are eliminated. The latter refers to the Syrian Kurds, not Israelis.
• Turkey has expanded its presence all these years.