U.S. envoy says Israel did not warn Washington before Syria airstrike
- The U.S. special envoy to Syria said Israel did not warn the United States before striking the Abu Duhur air base in northern Syria this week.
- Tom Barrack said the strike could have been intended to deter or signal Turkey, which he described as a worrying possibility given the risk of escalation between Israel and Turkey, a U.S. and NATO ally.
- Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz disputed Barrack's account, saying Israel alerted senior Syrian officials and transferred intelligence to relevant U.S. authorities.
- Barrack said the strike caused damage but no casualties, and he suggested the incident may have involved either Israeli concerns about Turkish activity or a miscommunication inside the Israeli system.
- Syrian officials said a Turkish delegation had visited the air base a day before the strike to review reconstruction work, while Turkey did not indicate it would respond militarily.
A U.S. envoy said Israel did not warn Washington before striking the Abu Duhur air base in northern Syria this week. Tom Barrack, the U.S. special envoy to Syria and ambassador to Turkey, said the attack raised concerns about possible escalation involving Turkey, another U.S. and NATO ally.
Barrack said the strike could have reflected Israeli concern about Turkish activity near the base, or a breakdown in communication. He said the operation caused damage but no casualties, and argued that the risk of a mistaken move could have serious consequences.
Israel's defense minister, Israel Katz, rejected Barrack's account and said Israel had informed senior Syrian officials and passed intelligence to U.S. authorities. Katz said the strike was approved after warnings were not heeded and that Israel had clear intelligence about Turkish intentions, though he gave no further details.
The report said Syrian officials had described a Turkish delegation visiting the base a day earlier to review reconstruction work. Turkey did not signal a military response, but the episode added to already strained Turkish-Israeli relations.
美国特使称以色列在叙利亚空袭前未向美方发出警告
美国一名特使表示，以色列在本周袭击叙利亚北部的阿布杜胡尔空军基地前，没有向华盛顿发出警告。美国驻叙利亚特使、同时也是驻土耳其大使的托马斯·巴拉克说，这次行动引发了对可能涉及土耳其的局势升级的担忧，而土耳其也是美国和北约盟友。
巴拉克称，这次打击可能反映了以色列对基地附近土耳其活动的担心，也可能是沟通失误。他说，这次行动造成了损坏，但没有人员伤亡，并表示一次误判可能带来严重后果。
以色列国防部长伊斯雷尔·卡茨否认了巴拉克的说法，称以方已通知叙利亚高级官员，并向美国当局传递了情报。卡茨说，这次袭击是在警告未被理会后批准的，并称以方掌握了土耳其意图的明确情报，但没有提供更多细节。
报道还说，叙利亚官员称土耳其代表团在空袭前一天曾到访该基地，查看重建工作。土耳其方面没有表示会作出军事回应，但这一事件进一步加剧了本已紧张的土耳其与以色列关系。