Tom Barrack, the US ambassador to Syria and Turkey, has cautioned that Israel's attack on Syria's Abu al-Duhur airbase would have led to a direct military conflict with Turkey.
Barrack made these remarks in an interview with The Jerusalem Post, stating that there was a "real risk of rapid escalation into a direct military confrontation" with both Syria and Turkey following Tuesday's strike. He claimed that Turkish personnel were unaware of the Israeli aeroplanes' purpose and had not been informed that they were approaching the facility.
According to Barrack, they "might have been inclined to scramble their own jets in the belief that they themselves were under attack". "The events of yesterday were serious and worrisome. However, we are relieved that no human life was harmed and that the situation did not escalate," he added.
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US diplomats caution that the lack of direct communication puts the region at risk of unintentional escalation, despite Turkey's condemnation of the strikes and Israel's declaration that it does not seek conflict with Ankara. Syria claimed on Tuesday that Israel had attacked the runway and storage facilities at Abu al-Duhur, which is located roughly 70 kilometres east of the Turkish border, with eight airstrikes.
Fearing that improved radar and drones might restrict Israeli air operations, Israel said Syria was getting close to a security breach by allowing Turkish forces to station at the site.
Syria was on the "verge" of breaking a "status quo agreed with Israel on security matters" by permitting Turkish forces to station at the airbase, according to a statement released by the Israeli Prime Minister's Office late on Tuesday. "Israel repeatedly warned Syria that such a deployment would pose a threat to Israel's security. Syria chose to ignore these warnings," the PMO said.
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