U.S. works on mechanism to prevent conflicts between Israel, Syria, and Turkey

The administration of the United States is working on creating a mechanism to prevent conflicts between Israel, Syria, and Turkey.

This was stated by the U.S. president's special envoy for Syria and Iraq, U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack, in an interview with Reuters.

He pointed to the "need for a conflict prevention mechanism involving Israel, Syria, and Turkey." "We are working hard on creating it in order to prevent misunderstandings in the future," the ambassador added. "Right now the priority is reducing tensions and creating conditions for a more measured approach." The mechanism itself will be a communication channel intended to prevent misunderstandings or accidental clashes between the armed forces of the three countries.

The diplomat emphasized that Ankara had not been warned about Israel's airstrikes on the Syrian airbase of Abu al-Duhur, located near the Turkish border. He said that Turkey "was watching the [Israeli] aircraft, <...> and therefore could have reasonably prepared its own response," referring to a possible military reaction by the republic. "Fortunately, cool heads made it possible to prevent a further escalation of the situation," Barrack added.

Ankara is providing training for the Syrian army, helping Damascus restore state institutions and infrastructure, and also providing military and diplomatic support. Barrack allowed that Turkey "may in the near future strengthen its presence at the base" that came under Israeli attack.

Syria and Israel have held several rounds of talks on de-escalation, but no agreement has been reached. "An incident like the one that happened this morning shows the need to intensify these efforts and expand the process," the diplomat emphasized, adding that the United States is facilitating the creation of a mechanism for information sharing and dialogue between the parties.

Earlier, the Syria TV channel, citing a source, reported that the Israeli Air Force had carried out several strikes on the Abu al-Duhur airfield in Idlib province, located in northwestern Syria. According to its information, the attacks caused material damage. No information about casualties among the civilian population has been reported. According to Reuters, the runway and storage facilities were targeted.