US says intelligence behind Israeli strike on Syria air base was wrong

US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack stated on Saturday that intelligence behind an Israeli airstrike on a Syrian military airbase earlier this week was inaccurate. Barrack, who also serves as the special envoy for Syria and Iraq, made the comments via social media regarding Israel's attack on the decommissioned Abu al-Duhur Military Airbase in eastern Idlib province.

He acknowledged that he was unsure why the attack took place but could share the responses he received. According to Barrack, Israel had been provided intelligence suggesting that Turkey might be relocating military assets to the airbase in Syria, which they subsequently shared with Washington for analysis. "We consulted our intelligence agencies, and the answer we received was that this claim was not true," Barrack stated.

He added that there may have been "a miscommunication" among the Israeli army, Mossad, and the prime minister's office, emphasizing that neither the US nor Turkey had been informed of the attack beforehand. Barrack described the Turkish military as "strong and brave," noting that it is "very well-equipped and knows its job well."

The Israeli Prime Minister's office claimed that Turkish soldiers were attempting to establish a presence at the base and were deploying military installations towards the south. Israel conducted airstrikes on the abandoned Abu al-Duhur Military Airbase in northern Syria, though it did not disclose any information on casualties or injuries resulting from the attack.

A Syrian official reported that Israeli warplanes carried out eight strikes on the airbase, targeting the runway and an inactive structure within a hangar.