Syrian Foreign Minister Denies Plans for Permanent Turkish Military Base at Abu al-Duhur Airbase

Syria's Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani waits before attending a meeting at the Elysee Palace on May 7, 2025 in Paris, France [Tom Nicholson/Getty Images]

Syria has no plans to establish a Turkish military presence at the Abu al-Duhur airbase, which was recently targeted by Israeli air strikes, according to Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani.

Speaking in an interview with the US news outlet Axios on Wednesday, al-Shaibani acknowledged that Turkish military officials had visited the location for training and broader military cooperation, but he firmly denied any Turkish military build-up. He noted that the facility was mostly empty at the time.

“There 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 stated, adding that this position had been communicated directly to Israel.

On Tuesday, state media reported that Israel conducted eight air strikes targeting the runway and storage facilities at the Abu al-Duhur base near Aleppo. The assault, which drew widespread international condemnation, marked what appeared to be Israel's first direct attack on Syrian government assets since March. No casualties were reported.

Al-Shaibani asserted that Israel lacked any legitimate justification for the attack. While affirming Syria's openness to de-escalation talks with Israel, he emphasized that any future agreement must address the security concerns of both nations, warning that ongoing Israeli military operations would only fuel regional instability.

The strikes occurred amid escalating security tensions between Israel and Turkiye concerning activities in Syria, where military forces from both countries operate.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israel had issued a prior warning to Syria regarding the prohibition of a Turkish presence at the airbase.

“Our message was very clear. Don’t. I guess they didn’t quite understand the message,” Netanyahu remarked on Wednesday.

On Thursday morning, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz accused Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of “dragging Turkiye into dangerous adventures in Syria”.

“Israel will not allow any entity to threaten its security,” Katz said, adding, “It is preferable for Erdogan to continue delivering empty, delusional speeches against Israel in the Turkish parliament rather than testing Israel’s resolve to defend itself.”

Turkiye strongly rejected what it described as “untenable allegations” made by Israel regarding its military footprint in Syria.

The Turkish defence ministry announced on Thursday that Ankara remains committed to supporting Syria's efforts to rebuild its military capacity and infrastructure. Denying the presence of any military delegation at the targeted airbase either before or during the strikes, Turkiye called upon the international community to take concrete and effective measures against Israeli actions that threaten regional peace and stability.

As a NATO member, Turkiye has become one of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s primary allies. Ankara has accused Israel of seeking to destabilize Syria and undermine its new administration, repeatedly urging international pressure to compel Israel to respect Syria’s territorial integrity.

Last year, Turkiye and Israel established a direct communication channel to prevent accidental incidents in Syria.