The Israeli government has formally identified the presence of Turkish military personnel at a Syrian air base as a direct threat to its national security. In a statement released via social media, the Prime Minister’s office claimed that Israel and Syria had previously maintained a tacit agreement regarding the security status quo in the region. According to the Israeli government, Syria risked violating this arrangement by permitting Turkish forces to deploy to the Abu al-Duhur air base, located near Aleppo.

This announcement comes in the immediate aftermath of Israeli airstrikes targeting the same facility. While Israel has framed the strikes as a defensive measure to prevent a shift in the regional security balance, the statement did not elaborate on the specific nature of the threat posed by the Turkish deployment or the details of the alleged prior security agreement between the two nations. The situation highlights the complex geopolitical tensions in northwestern Syria, where multiple international actors maintain overlapping military interests. As of now, neither the Syrian government nor Turkish officials have issued a formal response to the Israeli statement regarding the deployment or the recent airstrikes.