US working on deconfliction mechanism among Turkey, Israel and Syria, US envoy says

The United States is working on creating a deconfliction mechanism among Israel, Turkey, and Syria, according to U.S. special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack.

The mechanism aims to prevent misunderstandings or accidental confrontations between military and political actors in the region. Barrack emphasized that the priority is to lower tensions and allow for a more measured approach.

Turkey condemned Israel's recent strikes on a Syrian airbase near their shared border, but did not comment further on a potential deconfliction mechanism. The U.S. envoy stated that Turkey was not warned about the Israeli strikes and could have reasonably prepared a response.

Barrack said that Israel struck the Abu al-Dahur airbase in northwestern Syria, possibly due to concerns that Turkey might increase its presence at the base. He stressed the need for a deconfliction mechanism involving all three countries to prevent future miscommunication.

The U.S. already facilitates an information-sharing and dialogue mechanism among the parties, but Barrack believes a more robust architecture with greater resources is necessary. He argued that investing in such mechanisms is far less costly than relying on military force.