Tom Barrack: Airstrike on Syrian airfield could have led to a direct military conflict between Israel and Turkey
The August 18 airstrike on the Syrian airfield of Abu al-Duhur could have led to a sharp escalation, up to a direct military conflict between Israel and Turkey, as well as Syria.
This was stated in an interview with the I24 television channel by the U.S. president's special envoy for Syria and Iraq, U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack.
The airstrike, in his opinion, "carried a real risk of a rapid escalation of the situation into a direct military conflict between Israel and Turkey, as well as Syria." "Turkish troops did not know that Israeli aircraft were heading toward this particular Syrian base, and did not know what their target was, so they could have decided to scramble their fighter jets, believing that they themselves were under fire," Barrack explained. He described these events as "serious and alarming." "We (the U.S. — TASS note) are glad that no one was killed and the situation did not escalate," he said.
According to Barrack, the absence of clear channels of communication between the parties could have led to the situation becoming "much more serious." This state of affairs, in his opinion, "needs to be changed." "We (the U.S. — TASS note) are currently in talks with all interested parties regarding the resumption of the mechanism for preventing friction between Israel and Syria. Turkey could be invited to participate in it directly or indirectly," he continued.
According to Barrack, "it is obvious that the creation of a permanent, round-the-clock mechanism with a coordination center staffed by employees speaking Hebrew, Arabic, English and Turkish — both in an official setting and through a more flexible and informal channel — would be of great value." "Reliable communication remains extremely important," the U.S. ambassador summed up, noting that "there are no significant obstacles preventing these parties from maintaining open channels of communication." "Diplomatic dialogue is the best way to prevent physical clashes," he concluded, pointing out that the lack of reliable communication channels creates unnecessary risk.
"All parties must work patiently toward achieving a stable and sustainable solution to this very complex situation. Turkey and Israel have maintained constructive and fruitful relations at various times over the past three decades. President Trump's plan offers a sustainable path that can be successful if it is given the necessary space and support," Barrack concluded.
Statement from Netanyahu's office
Earlier, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Syria had come "close to disrupting" the security status quo with Israel by allowing the deployment of Turkish troops at an air base near Aleppo. Israel "will not allow threats to its security," but is "ready to return to the agreed status quo," Netanyahu's office added. The office noted that Israel had "repeatedly warned Syria that the deployment of Turkish forces there would pose a threat," but, according to its claims, "Syria decided to ignore these warnings."
At the same time, the statement from the Israeli prime minister's office contains no mention of the strike on the airfield in Syria and no direct indication of Israel's responsibility for the air raid.
Media reports and IDF comment
Earlier, the Syria TV channel claimed that on Tuesday, Israeli Air Force aircraft carried out strikes on a military airfield in Idlib province. According to its information, the attacks resulted in material damage. No information about civilian casualties has been received. The AFP agency had earlier reported that unidentified aircraft carried out several strikes on the Abu al-Duhur military airfield in Idlib. According to Reuters, the runway and storage facilities were attacked.
The Israel Defense Forces, in response to a request from TASS, declined to comment on media reports about Israeli aircraft striking a military airfield in northwestern Syria.
Source: TASS
