US envoy Tom Barrack’s Israel criticism tests his credibility as a mediator – analysis

US envoy Tom Barrack's recent comments regarding an Israeli airstrike in Syria have drawn sharp criticism from Israel, potentially jeopardizing his role as a mediator. Barrack, the ambassador to Turkey and special envoy to Syria and Iraq, publicly contradicted US policy on the Golan Heights, suggested Israel's strike was politically motivated, disputed Israeli intelligence, and downplayed Turkish animosity towards Israel. Defense Minister Israel Katz responded on Shabbat, stating Israel had clear intelligence of Turkish plans endangering Israeli security and that the strike was authorized after warnings to Syria. Katz called Barrack's comments "full of inaccuracies." This incident, coupled with previous disagreements on Lebanon, has led Israel to question Barrack's impartiality, with Katz's statement serving as a "public warning that Israel's confidence in the man Washington has chosen to manage some of the region's most delicate disputes is beginning to erode."