The United States is working to establish a formal deconfliction mechanism among Israel, Turkey and Syria following Israeli airstrikes on the Abu al-Dahur airbase in northwestern Syria, US special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack said on Tuesday. Barrack, who also serves as US ambassador to Turkey, made the statement in a phone interview with Reuters after Syria's state-run Ekhbariya television reported that Israel carried out eight airstrikes on the base's runway and storage facilities.
US envoy seeks Israel-Turkey-Syria deconfliction mechanism after Israeli strikes on Syrian airbase
The United States is working to establish a formal deconfliction mechanism among Israel, Turkey and Syria following Israeli airstrikes on the Abu al-Dahur airbase in northwestern Syria, US special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack said on Tuesday. Barrack, who also serves as US ambassador to Turkey, made the statement in a phone interview with Reuters after Syria's state-run Ekhbariya television reported that Israel carried out eight airstrikes on the base's runway and storage facilities.
Turkey was not warned about the Israeli strikes in advance, Barrack said, and as a result 'observed the aircraft heading north toward its territory and therefore could have reasonably prepared its own response.' He added: 'Thankfully, calm heads were able to prevent the situation from deteriorating further.'
Turkey condemned Israel's strikes on the airbase but did not comment further, including on the question of a potential deconfliction mechanism. A deconfliction mechanism is a communications channel intended to prevent misunderstandings or accidental confrontations between military or political actors.
The Abu al-Dahur airbase is located approximately 70 km east of the Turkish border. It has been out of service as a dedicated military airfield since 2013 and changed hands several times during Syria's 14-year civil war. A separate military source and a civilian living near the base said there were no casualties. The Israeli military declined to comment on the strikes.
Barrack said the strikes 'reflected a perception, whether accurate or misplaced, that Türkiye might in the near future increase its presence at that base.' Turkey, which has NATO's second-largest army and signed a mutual defence pact this month with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, has become one of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa's main allies, providing military training, infrastructure support and diplomatic backing to Syria's new government.
Israel has for years struck targets in Syria, saying the operations are aimed at curbing Iranian influence and preventing weapons from reaching Hezbollah in Lebanon. Since the overthrow of former President Bashar al-Assad in 2024, Israel has continued military operations in Syria, most recently attacking government sites in southern and central Syria in March. Syria and Israel have held several rounds of de-escalation and border discussions since al-Sharaa's forces toppled Assad, but no agreement has been reached.
Barrack said the US already facilitates an information-sharing and dialogue mechanism among the parties but that 'a more robust architecture with greater resources committed to it' is required. 'Investing in such mechanisms is far less costly than relying on kinetic means of communication that can run into the hundreds of millions of dollars,' he said, referring to military force.
- The source does not state Israel's stated rationale, if any, for striking the Abu al-Dahur airbase specifically at this time.
- The source does not state whether Syria's government has responded to or endorsed the proposed deconfliction mechanism.
- The source does not state what form the existing US-facilitated information-sharing mechanism takes or which parties currently participate in it.
- The source does not state whether the mutual defence pact Turkey signed this month with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia has any direct bearing on Turkey's obligations regarding the Syrian airbase situation.
- The source does not state the current operational status or any planned use of the Abu al-Dahur airbase by Turkish or Syrian forces prior to the strikes.
- The source does not state whether the Israeli government responded to Barrack's characterization of the strikes as possibly reflecting a 'misplaced' perception about Turkish intentions.
Read the original at The Jerusalem Post