Israel’s latest airstrikes on a Syrian airbase have frustrated senior US officials and exposed fresh tensions between US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Axios reported, citing US and Israeli officials.The strikes on the Abu al-Duhur airbase in north-western Syria came as the Trump administration has sought to strengthen ties with Syria’s government under President Ahmed al-Sharaa and views its engagement with Damascus as a foreign policy achievement. Trump also maintains close ties with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose government strongly backs the new Syrian leadership.At least eight Israeli bombs struck the runways and several hangars at the airbase early Tuesday, about 45 miles from the Turkish border. Israel told the White House the operation was intended to deter Turkey from sending sophisticated weapons systems to the facility and prevent a broader military buildup there, according to Axios. The strike caused damage but no casualties.Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office said Damascus had been close to violating an agreed security status quo by allowing Turkish troops to deploy at the base.“The Prime Minister’s Office: Israel and Syria agreed to a status quo in security matters, which Syria was on the verge of breaching by permitting Turkish troops to deploy at an airbase near Aleppo. Israel repeatedly warned Syria that such a deployment would pose a threat to Israel’s security. Syria chose to ignore these warnings,” it said.“Israel will not tolerate threats to its security, and would welcome a return to the status quo,” it added.Turkey rejected Israel’s justification. “There was no Turkish presence at the airbase. Israel is inventing pretexts to bomb neighboring countries and destabilize the region,” a Turkish official said.The US response, however, was unusually critical. Tom Barrack, Trump’s special presidential envoy for Syria and Iraq, said the strikes were an “unnecessary escalation” and did not advance regional stability. “We are deeply concerned that the confirmed Israeli airstrikes on Abu al-Duhur Airbase constitute an unnecessary escalation that does not advance regional stability,” Barrack said.Axios reported that some senior US officials believe Netanyahu’s decision may have also been influenced by Israel’s October election. US officials said Syria had not taken hostile steps against Israel and had spent months seeking a security arrangement to reduce tensions.According to one US official, Damascus had pushed for weeks for a joint coordination centre in Jordan involving the US and Israel to manage incidents and prevent escalation. Israel, however, refused to operationalise the centre and instead increased military incursions into southern Syria, the official said.
