Turkey Refutes Israeli Allegations of Troop Presence at Struck Syrian Airbase

Turkey’s defense ministry issued a denial on Thursday regarding claims that Turkish troops were stationed at the Syrian airbase targeted by Israeli forces. Alongside the denial, the ministry cautioned that Israel’s military operations in neighboring states must not be permitted to become a “routine” occurrence.

The ministry emphasized that the international community must implement “more concrete and effective measures” to address Israeli actions that jeopardize regional stability and peace.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that the Israeli Air Force conducted a strike on a Syrian airbase in northwestern Syria. Netanyahu argued the mission was necessary as Damascus was “on the verge” of violating the established status quo between the two nations.

According to Netanyahu, the strike on the Abu al-Duhur military airfield in Idlib province was prompted by reports that Syria had permitted Turkish troops to deploy at an airbase located near Aleppo.

“Israel has issued repeated warnings that such deployments pose a direct threat to our security, yet Syria chose to ignore them,” the prime minister stated. “Israel will not tolerate security threats and seeks a return to the status quo.”

A source familiar with the matter informed The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday that Israel has recently shared intelligence with the United States regarding Syrian efforts to expand its military capabilities.

Earlier Thursday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz issued a warning to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan against testing Israel’s resolve, accusing the Turkish leader of involving his nation in “dangerous adventures” within Syria.

“Erdogan is dragging Turkey into dangerous adventures in Syria. Israel will not allow any actor to threaten its security. Erdogan would be better off delivering speeches in the Turkish parliament rather than testing Israel’s determination to defend itself,” Katz posted on X/Twitter.

Amichai Stein contributed to this report.

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