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See the full story · 2 sourcesUS envoy for Syria Tom Barrack slammed Israel’s Aug 18 attack on the disused military air base as an “unnecessary escalation that does not advance regional stability”.
Listen Summarise Israel conducted a fresh strike in Syria on Aug 22, targeting what it called terrorist threats, following criticism from US envoy Tom Barrack about an earlier attack. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz rejected Barrack's claims, stating the strike was coordinated with the US and defending Israel’s position on the Golan Heights. Tensions escalated between Israel and Turkey, with both leaders exchanging harsh accusations after Israel accused Turkey of trying to establish a military presence in Syria. AI generated
DAMASCUS – Israel carried out a fresh strike in Syria on Aug 22 and lambasted US envoy Tom Barrack for criticising an earlier attack on an air base in the north-west, which Israel has accused Turkey of seeking to use.
US envoy for Syria Tom Barrack on Aug 18 slammed Israel’s attack on the disused military air base that day as an “unnecessary escalation that does not advance regional stability”.
On Aug 21, in an interview with influencer Mario Nawfal, Barrack said the strike may have been intended to provoke a conflict with Turkey, prompting Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz to hit back on Aug 22, calling the remarks “full of inaccuracies”.
Since the December 2024 overthrow of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad, Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria and has sent troops into a UN-patrolled buffer zone that for decades had separated Israeli and Syrian forces in the Golan Heights.
Katz wrote on X on Aug 22 that Israel had passed on “intelligence information to the authorised parties in the United States” before the strike on Aug 18.
He added that Barrack’s comments were “full of inaccuracies and positions that contradict the stance of US President (Donald) Trump himself regarding the Golan Heights”, after Barrack called the territory “occupied”.
Israel captured most of the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Arab-Israeli War and later annexed the areas under its control, in a move only recognised by the United States and, this month, also Colombia.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, commenting on the Aug 18 strike, said Turkey, an ally of the new authorities in Damascus, had been looking to establish a military presence on the air base.
Ankara has denied any visit to the site.
Netanyahu and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have traded barbs since the incident, and Ankara announced it was seeking an Interpol red notice for Netanyahu, accusing him of “genocide” linked to the interception of a Gaza-bound aid flotilla.
Netanyahu’s office called Erdogan an “anti-Semitic dictator” while Erdogan’s office called the remarks “outrageous ravings” and accused Netanyahu’s government of “seeking to evade accountability”.
Also on Aug 22, Syrian state television said a man was wounded when an “Israeli occupation drone” targeted a vehicle in the village of Beit Jinn, located south-west of Damascus near the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, with the foreign ministry calling it a “flagrant violation” of its sovereignty.
Israel’s military acknowledged the strike, saying that its forces “fired in southern Syria towards a terrorist who advanced terror attacks in the final stages of preparation”, without identifying the target.
Israel has carried out repeated incursions into Syrian territory and has vowed to keep troops in a so-called “security zone” in southern Syria, where it seeks a broader demilitarised area.
This week Israeli army chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir told troops in southern Syria that “we are monitoring the changes on the Syrian front. We will not allow hostile forces to establish themselves on our borders.” AFP
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