Israel strikes Syrian military airfield after Turkish delegation visit, drawing rare US rebuke

Israel conducted an airstrike on the Abu al-Duhur military airfield in eastern Idlib, Syria, following a reported visit by a Turkish military delegation. Syrian authorities attributed the attack to Israel, which caused damage to runways and storage facilities but no fatalities. This strike prompted rare public criticism from U.S. special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack, who called it an “unnecessary escalation” and stated that Syria under its current leadership “has not adopted an aggressive posture and has not maintained proxy forces.” Turkey also condemned the strike, accusing Israel of violating international law. A senior Israeli official acknowledged the operation, stating that Jerusalem had shared “sensitive intelligence” with Washington prior to the strike.