Israel, Syria Discuss Turkey’s Military Presence Before Airstrike

Israel’s Mossad chief Roman Gofman held a rare phone call with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani on August 14, with Turkey’s growing military presence in Syria dominating the discussion, according to three people familiar with the matter.

The high-level contact between Israel and Syria came just days before Israeli forces struck the Abu al-Duhur airbase. The conversation represents one of the most senior known engagements between Israel and the Syrian government led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

Sources said Gofman questioned Shaibani about Turkey’s expanding military involvement, including weapons supplied to the Syrian army, drones and other forms of military assistance. Israel has increasingly raised concerns that a stronger Turkish military footprint in Syria could threaten its security.

Following the airstrike, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Damascus was close to allowing Turkish troops to deploy at Abu al-Duhur despite repeated Israeli warnings.

“We made it clear to Turkey — Don’t,” Netanyahu said in a video posted on X, adding that Israel would not accept a Turkish military establishment in Syria that it considers a security threat.

Turkey has become a key ally of the Sharaa government since the fall of Bashar al-Assad in 2024. Ankara previously supported rebel groups during Syria’s civil war, and its expanding influence has caused concern in Israel over Turkey’s presence near its northern frontier.

Turkey’s presidency rejected Israel’s accusations, saying they were being used to justify airstrikes that violated Syria’s sovereignty. Ankara said its cooperation with Damascus would continue as part of efforts to promote stability and prosperity.

Meanwhile, Sharaa said in July that Syria was pursuing a security agreement with Israel and seeking international support for a more balanced Israeli policy toward Damascus.

U.S. Ambassador to Turkey and special envoy for Syria and Iraq Tom Barrack described the Israeli strikes as an “unnecessary escalation.” He also said Washington is working on a deconfliction mechanism involving Israel, Turkey and Syria while already facilitating information sharing and dialogue among the three countries.