Turkey slams Israel's 'untenable' claims after strikes on Syrian base

Turkey vehemently denied on Wednesday the "untenable allegations" made by Israel concerning its military stance in Syria, following Israel's airstrike on a Syrian airbase near the Turkish border. Israel claimed Syria was close to permitting Turkish troops to base there, but this assertion was met with strong criticism from Turkey and the US envoy.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office stated that Syria was close to breaking the agreed "status quo" with Israel in security matters, warning such a move would threaten Israel's security and would not be tolerated. Turkey's presidency responded, calling the accusations from Netanyahu's office an attempt to justify Israel's unlawful airstrikes and infringing on Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The Turkish presidency emphasized that lasting regional peace can only be achieved if Israel respects international law and ceases its aggressive and coercive policies. The strikes occurred after a deterioration in relations between Israel and Turkey, with both nations' militaries operating in Syria and tensions escalating due to their differing stances on the Syrian administration.

Turkey, a NATO member and a key ally of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharif, has repeatedly accused Israel of destabilizing Syria and called for international pressure on Israel to respect Syria's territorial integrity. Turkey has been assisting Syria in rebuilding its state and military capabilities, while Israel and Turkey have established a communication line to prevent incidents in Syria.

The US special envoy for Syria and Iraq, Tom Barrack, stated that the US was working on a deconfliction mechanism among Israel, Turkey, and Syria, and already facilitates information-sharing and dialogue among the parties.