Israeli strikes Syrian bases scoped by Türkiye: Report

Israel carried out airstrikes this week on three Syrian air bases that had reportedly been recently surveyed by Türkiye for potential military deployment, four sources familiar with the matter said exclusively to Reuters, marking a sharp escalation in mounting tensions between the two regional powers.

The bombardments, including a heavy barrage on Wednesday night, targeted key military sites in central Syria.

The strikes came despite Ankara’s efforts to reassure the United States that its possible joint defense pact in Syria is not aimed at Israel.

‘Türkiye had been evaluating the T4 and Palmyra air bases in Syria’

Sources speaking to Reuters said Türkiye had been evaluating the T4 and Palmyra air bases in Syria’s Homs province and the main airport in Hama province.

The inspections were part of a broader effort to lay groundwork for a potential defense pact, positioning Türkiye to play a major role in post-Assad Syria.

Turkish military teams had visited the sites in recent weeks, assessing the condition of runways, hangars and infrastructure, according to a regional intelligence official, two Syrian military sources, and another Syrian source familiar with the matter.

A planned visit to T4 and Palmyra on March 25 was cancelled after Israel struck both sites just hours beforehand, the same sources said.

“Strikes at T4 destroyed the runway, tower, hangars and the planes that were grounded. It was a tough message that Israel won’t accept the expanded Turkish presence,” the regional intelligence official said.

Another Syrian source close to Türkiye added, “T4 is totally unusable now.”

When asked about the visits, a Turkish defence ministry official stated,”Reports and posts regarding developments in Syria — whether real or alleged — that do not originate from official authorities should not be taken into consideration, as they lack credibility and may be misleading.”

A spokesperson for Syria’s defence ministry declined to comment.

Turkish Foreign Ministry on Thursday described Israel as “the greatest threat to regional security.” On Friday, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told Reuters that “Türkiye wants no confrontation with Israel in Syria.”

Israel hits key Syrian air bases amid Türkiye’s moves

In the four months since Bashar al-Assad was toppled by opposition-led groups, Israel has occupied more ground in southwest Syria, made overtures to the Druze minority, and carried out extensive strikes on Syrian military installations.

Wednesday’s attack marked one of the most intense operations yet, according to Syrian officials.

Syria’s foreign ministry said Israel struck five separate areas within a 30-minute window, resulting in the near-total destruction of the Hama base and wounding dozens of civilians and soldiers.

Israel confirmed it had hit the T4 air base and other locations at air bases in Hama and Homs provinces, as well as military infrastructure in the Damascus area.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said the air strikes were a warning that “we will not allow the security of the State of Israel to be harmed.” Foreign Minister Gideon Saar added that Ankara was seeking a “Turkish protectorate” in Syria.

Noa Lazimi, a specialist in Middle East politics at Bar-Ilan University, said, “The base would enable Türkiye to establish air superiority in this area, and this poses a serious concern for Israel because it undermines its operational freedom in the region.”

“Türkiye seeks influence in post-Assad Syria”

Türkiye, a long-time backer of opposition forces during Syria’s civil war, is positioning to assert greater influence over the new opposition-led government.

Ankara has explored options for expanded military cooperation and has signaled its intent to use Syrian airspace more extensively according to report.

The shift has alarmed Israel, which urged the United States to limit Türkiye’s influence in Syria.

Foreign Minister Fidan told U.S. officials in Washington last month that Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa “would not pose a threat to neighbours,” according to a senior regional diplomat close to Türkiye and a source in Washington briefed on the meetings.

One of the Syrian military sources said Fidan and other Turkish officials had earlier told Sharaa that Ankara was “carefully calibrating its moves towards a defence pact so as not to irk Washington.”

“Türkiye, not Israel, would pay the highest price among regional states were there to be failure or destabilization in Syria, including with refugees and security,” an official in Türkiye’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) told Reuters.

A senior Israeli official stated on Friday that Israel does not seek conflict with Türkiye in Syria, following heightened tensions between the two countries and Israeli airstrikes on military sites in Syria, according to a Reuters report.

“We’re not looking for a conflict with Türkiye and we hope that Türkiye isn’t looking for a conflict with us,” the official told reporters, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

However, the official added, “But we also do not want to see Turkish entrenchment on our border and there are all kinds of ways to handle this.”