Speaking on August 19, Netanyahu said Israel would not accept Turkey building up its military capabilities in Syria, particularly as such capabilities expand toward southern parts of the country, which he said could pose a threat to Israel’s security.
His remarks came a day after Israeli forces, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), carried out an airstrike on a military facility near Idlib, about 298 kilometres from the Israel-Syria border.
Netanyahu warned Turkey against such military activities in Syria, saying Ankara should not put itself in a dangerous situation.
“The message had already been delivered, but apparently they did not understand it, so we did what was necessary to make them understand it better,” Netanyahu said.
Turkey strongly rejected what it described as “baseless allegations” by Israel regarding its military activities in Syria, following the Israeli strike on a Syrian airbase near the Turkish border.
On Tuesday, Israel carried out airstrikes on the Abu al-Duhur military airbase near Aleppo. Turkey strongly condemned the attacks, while the United States also criticized the action, saying it risked unnecessarily escalating tensions.
In a statement issued by Netanyahu’s office on Tuesday night, Israel said Syria was close to violating security understandings it had reached with Israel by allowing Turkish forces to be deployed at the airbase.
The statement said the presence of Turkish forces at the facility would threaten Israel’s security and that Israel would not tolerate such a development.
Turkey responded by saying Israel’s accusations against Ankara were part of Netanyahu’s efforts to continue what it called provocative actions.
Ankara added that lasting peace in the region could only be achieved if Israel respected international law and ended what it described as its policy of provocation and pressure.
The latest Israeli strikes have further heightened security tensions between Israel and Turkey, with both sides exchanging increasingly strong statements over Syria, where their military activities are expanding.
Israel has troops deployed in southern Syria as part of efforts to monitor the area and prevent hostile armed groups from establishing positions that could threaten its territory.
Israel is also seeking to prevent regional rivals, including Iran and Turkey, from establishing major military bases or deploying strategic military equipment close to its borders.
Turkey, meanwhile, has expanded its military activities and influence in Syria, reaching into several parts of the country as it seeks to play a role in establishing Syria’s new security structures.
Turkey, which has NATO’s second-largest military, has also emerged as one of the key partners of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa.
Ankara accuses Israel of attempting to destabilize Syria and weaken its new government. Turkey has called on the international community to pressure Israel and take measures to ensure that it respects Syria’s sovereignty.
Turkey is also providing training to Syrian forces and supporting efforts to rebuild government institutions and infrastructure.
Last year, Turkey and Israel, which have been sharply divided over the war in Gaza, established communication mechanisms aimed at preventing incidents that could trigger a wider confrontation in Syria.
US Special Envoy for Syria and Iraq Tom Barrack told Reuters following Tuesday’s strikes that Washington was working to establish mechanisms to prevent Israel, Turkey and Syria from becoming involved in a direct confrontation.
