Israel justifies airstrikes on Syrian airport, Turkey and the US speak out

[Global Times Comprehensive Report] According to the Israel Times report on the 19th, Israel confirmed on the evening of the 18th that it had launched a nighttime airstrike on a military airport in Syria, claiming that Turkey is planning to deploy troops at the base. The Prime Minister's Office of Israel stated in a declaration: "Israel and Syria have reached a consensus on maintaining the status quo in security matters, and Syria allowing Turkish troops to be deployed at an airbase near Aleppo effectively breaks this status quo." Israel has repeatedly warned Syria about this. In response to Israel's statement, Turkey refuted it on the 19th.

According to Turkey's Anadolu Agency, the Turkish Communications Authority stated in a declaration, "The nonsense put forward by the Israeli Prime Minister's Office aims to provide legitimacy for Israel's illegal airstrikes against Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity." The statement said that these accusations stem from Prime Minister Netanyahu's intention to implement his "expansionist and destabilizing policies" in the region before the Israeli elections, "like the vast majority of the international community, Turkey advocates for lasting peace in the region. The only way to achieve this goal is for Netanyahu to abandon his aggressive and coercive policies and respect international law." The UAE's National newspaper reported on the 19th that hostilities between Turkey and Israel are escalating, with the Syrian issue becoming the focal point of their verbal exchanges.

Anadolu Agency mentioned that on the 18th, Israeli warplanes conducted eight airstrikes on the Abu Zuhour military airport located in Idlib province in northwestern Syria, causing severe damage to the airport's infrastructure. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Syrian Transitional Government condemned the attack as a "dangerous escalation of the situation," threatening regional security and stability. Pakistan also "strongly" condemned the unwarranted attacks launched by the Israeli military on the 19th.

Meanwhile, according to the American "Politico" news network on the 18th, Tom Barak, the U.S. Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy for Syria, stated on social media that Israel's airstrike on the Syrian airbase is "an unnecessary escalation that does not contribute to regional stability." The Israel Times reported on the 19th that this attack marks Israel's blatant defiance of the United States. (Ren Zhong)