From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, August 18, 2026
Israel confirms it struck Syrian military airport, claiming Turkey was planning to deploy forces
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleEmanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
Israel confirms it was behind overnight airstrikes against a Syrian military airport, where it claims Turkey was planning to deploy forces.
“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,” says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office in an English-language statement.
The Prime Minister’s Office says Israel “repeatedly warned Syria that such a deployment would pose a threat to Israel’s security.”
“Syria chose to ignore these warnings,” the PMO says, adding that Israel “will not tolerate threats to its security, and would welcome a return to the status quo.”
Earlier, a Turkish official denied to Axios that Ankara is seeking to establish a military presence at the base.
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