Turkey blasts Israel over reported strikes on Syrian air base

The Turkish foreign ministry condemns reported Israeli airstrikes on the Abu al-Duhur air base in northwestern Syria, urging the international community to take a stronger stance against what it calls Jerusalem’s violations of international law.

“We strongly condemn the airstrikes carried out by Israel” overnight, the ministry says in a Turkish-language statement, adding, “We call on the international community to adopt a more resolute stance in order to bring an end to Israel’s aggression against Syria… and to ensure accountability for these actions, which disregard international law.”

Israel has been seeking to prevent Turkish entrenchment and influence in Syria, and in the past has carried out strikes purportedly to stop Turkey from assisting in building up the new Syrian government’s air force.

Israel has yet to publicly comment on the strikes on the Abu Duhur military airport, which Damascus blamed on Jerusalem and which US envoy to Syria Tom Barrack publicly condemned as “confirmed Israeli airstrikes.”

Emanuel Fabian contributed to this report.