Shafaq News- Damascus

Syria has ruled out any Turkish military presence at Abu al-Duhur airbase in northwestern Idlib province, Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani stated on Thursday, hours after Israel carried out airstrikes on the facility.

In comments to Axios, Al-Shaibani noted that conditions on the ground did not support linking the Israeli strikes to a Turkish military presence, stressing that the airbase was largely empty, with no Turkish military buildup there.

The Foreign Minister also indicated that he had informed Israel that Damascus was not engaged in military cooperation with Turkiye, but Israel proceeded with the strike despite those assurances.

"Syria is a sovereign state, and it has the right to establish relations of cooperation and alliance with any country, including Turkiye," he added. Damascus had also made clear to the United States that "we do not trust Israel's intentions towards Syria" and that current Israeli policy, including its military escalation and actions on the ground, does not contribute to stability in Syria or the region.

On Tuesday, Israel attacked Abu al-Duhur airbase, targeting the runway and storage areas. No casualties were reported. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asserted that Damascus was on the verge of allowing Turkish troops to deploy in Syria and had ignored repeated Israeli warnings that such a deployment would pose a threat to Israel's security.

Turkiye's Defense Ministry declined to comment, while its Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The strikes came days after Al-Shaibani held a phone call with Mossad chief Roman Gofman, marking one of the highest-level contacts between Israel and Syria's new government since the fall of former President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. Sources indicated that Turkish military support for Syria was the main focus of the call.