Key facts
- Israel bombed Syria's Abu al-Duhur airbase.
- Israel accused Syria of violating a security status quo by permitting Turkish troops at the airbase.
- Turkey and Syria denied any Turkish military presence at the airbase.
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Turkey against expanding its military presence southwards in Syria.
- An Israeli opinion article suggested NATO's collective defense pact would not apply to Turkish troops in Syria.
Israel issued a veiled threat to Turkey over its alleged involvement in Syria following Israeli strikes on the Abu al-Duhur military airbase, a move that Turkey and Syria deny involved Turkish troops. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Turkey of acting as a new adversary amid his re-election campaign, while Defense Minister Israel Katz warned against "dangerous adventures" in Syria. Israel claimed Syria was on the verge of violating a security status quo by permitting Turkish troops at the airbase, a charge both Turkey and Syria rejected, with Syria's Foreign Minister stating only a technical team was present for repairs. An opinion article in Israel suggested that NATO's collective defense pact would not apply to Turkish troops operating outside of member states' borders in Syria. Israeli opposition leaders Yair Golan and Ehud Barak criticized Netanyahu's handling of the situation as reckless.