US envoy Tom Barrack addressed the latest developments in Syria on Tuesday, following Israeli strikes against the Abu al-Duhur airbase in the eastern Idlib countryside.
Barrack, quoted by Reuters, said the strikes appear to have been carried out amid concerns that Turkey could soon increase its presence in Syria, “whether accurate or misplaced." He said the incident demonstrates the importance of establishing a direct mechanism to prevent clashes between the countries.
“This underscores the need for a deconfliction mechanism involving Israel, Syria and Turkey," the US envoy stated, adding that Washington is “actively working" to establish such a mechanism in an effort to prevent future miscommunication and reduce tensions.
Barrack said Turkey had not received advance warning of the strikes near its border. After detecting Israeli aircraft approaching its territory, Turkey “could have reasonably prepared its own response," he said.
“Thankfully, calm heads were able to prevent the situation from deteriorating further," Barrack stated.
Arab media reported that four airstrikes struck the runway at Abu al-Duhur early Tuesday morning. The aircraft involved have not been identified, although some sources cited by Al Jazeera said they may have been Israeli.
The strikes reportedly caused material damage to the runway, with no injuries reported.
On Tuesday night, Israel confirmed that it was responsible for the strikes.
In an English-language statement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Office said, "Israel and Syria agreed to a status quo in security matters, which Syria was on the verge of breaching by permitting Turkish troops to deploy at an airbase near Aleppo."
The statement clarified, “Israel repeatedly warned Syria that such a deployment would pose a threat to Israel's security. Syria chose to ignore these warnings. Israel will not tolerate threats to its security, and would welcome a return to the status quo."