Syria denies Turkish military buildup at Abu al-Duhur airbase

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said there had been no buildup of Turkish military forces at the Abu al-Duhur airbase that could have provided grounds for an Israeli attack.

He stressed that the base was almost empty at the time of the strike, while the work being carried out there was focused on restoring the airfield and repairing infrastructure damaged during the war for the needs of the Syrian Air Force, Caliber.Az reports via Axios.

The FM also rejected any plans for a permanent Turkish military presence at the site.

“[T]here was no intention to establish a Turkish base there, nor to establish a permanent Turkish military presence or deploy Turkish forces at the site,” Al-Shaibani said in one of eight written responses to questions from Axios.

Israeli authorities, meanwhile, said the strike was carried out over alleged plans to deploy Turkish forces at the airbase, which Israel viewed as a security threat. Both Syria and Türkiye have rejected these claims.

As previously reported, the Israeli airstrike targeted the runway and infrastructure facilities at the base, causing no casualties.

By Jeyhun Aghazada