Conflict · Syrian base hitIsrael's 8 Strikes Crater Syrian Base Near Turkey — Allies on Collision CourseAired August 21, 2026 at 9:46 PM UTCWritten September 7, 2026 at 9:22 PM UTCRead the write-upThis storyTranscript · LOADING0:00Eight Israeli air strikes cratered the0:01runway and wrecked storage facilities0:03and hangars at the Abu al-Duhur airbase0:06in eastern Idlib province near Aleppo0:08around 2:50 [music] a.m. on August 18th,0:102026. The field was initially reported0:12as Abu Allah, but verified records0:14identify it as Abu al-Duhur about0:16[music] 45 to 70 km from the Turkish0:18border. Satellite imagery later showed0:20craters across [music] the recently0:22reconstructed runway. Drones lingered0:24after the wave and military [music]0:26sources and nearby civilian and monitors0:28reported no casualties. The location0:30itself made the strike unusual. It is0:33far from Israel's usual focus [music] in0:35the south and unusually deep in northern0:37for recent Israeli action, described as0:39the closest Israeli jets have come to0:40the Turkish border. The [music]0:41proximity carried a specific risk that0:43Turkish jets could scramble after0:45thinking they were under attack on a0:46misread radar track. At the center are0:48contradictory claims about what the base0:50is.0:51>> [music]0:51>> The Israeli Prime Minister's office said0:52Israel and Syria had agreed to a0:54security status quo and Syria was on the0:56verge of breaching it by allowing a0:58Turkish military deployment,0:59>> [music]0:59>> a threat to Israeli security Israel had1:01reportedly warned against. Prime1:03Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense1:05Minister [music] Israel Katz said Israel1:07will not tolerate a Turkish military1:09buildup or entrenchment extending1:10southward or at the northern field.1:12Syria's Foreign Minister Assad1:14al-Shaybani said the field was largely1:16empty, badly damaged in the war and out1:18of service as a dedicated airfield since1:20about 2013, now under rehabilitation for1:22future Syrian Air Force use with no1:25plans for a Turkish base or permanent1:26troop presence, [music]1:27and that Damascus had given assurances1:29to Israel. Turkey's presidency and1:31Defense Ministry called the Israeli1:33justification untenable, frivolous, and1:35fabricated to legitimize an unlawful1:37strike that violated Syrian sovereignty1:39and the United Nations Charter, tied1:41[music] to expansionist and1:42destabilizing policies ahead of1:44elections, saying cooperation follows a1:46one-state, one-army principle. Jordan's1:48Foreign Ministry also called the strikes1:50a flagrant violation of sovereignty and1:52a blatant breach of international law.1:54That dispute includes whether Turkish1:56personnel were ever there.1:58Some reports said a Turkish military2:00delegation had visited days or hours2:02before [music] to inspect rehabilitation2:03work with refurbished Syrian Su-22s,2:06L-39s, and helicopters [music] linked to2:08the site as part of rebuilding.2:10Turkey's Defense Ministry later denied2:11any Turkish military delegation was2:13present before or during the strike. The2:15distance places the raid about 45 to 702:17km from the Turkish border [music]2:19in the northwest near Aleppo and eastern2:21Idlib, far from the southern corridor2:23around Quneitra, Daraa, and Damascus2:25where most of the recent strikes have2:27concentrated. [music]2:28Since the fall of Bashar al-Assad in2:30December 2024,2:31>> [music]2:32>> Israel has carried out hundreds of2:33strikes in Syria, more than 320 targets2:36in the first days with 70 to 80% of2:38strategic capabilities described as2:40destroyed initially, and monitors2:42documenting 600 to more than 780 air,2:45drone, and artillery incidents through2:462025 [music] and 2026. The Abu al-Duhur2:49attack was the first strike on Syrian2:51government-linked assets since March2:522026. The initial account revived a2:55similar April 2024 strike near Palmyra2:58as precedent. Verified records point3:01instead to the November 20th, 20243:03Palmyra strike that killed 90 to 908 and3:06to the March 2025 and March 2026 strikes3:09around Palmyra and T4. [music] The scale3:11contrast is stark. Eight strikes turning3:14a patched runway into a cratered3:15airfield in one early morning wave3:18against hundreds of strikes since3:19December [music] 2024 that reshaped3:21Syria's arsenal. A US CENTCOM-linked3:24deconfliction understanding3:26>> [music]3:26>> and a joint fusion mechanism for3:28intelligence sharing and de-escalation3:30involving the United States,3:31>> [music]3:31>> Israel, and Syria set up in January 20263:34has not fully collapsed but is strained3:36and insufficient, described [music] as3:38being refined and requiring greater3:39resources. Israel has resisted a3:41structure that could evolve into3:43intelligence [music] sharing and3:44constrain freedom of action. US3:47Ambassador Tom Barrack called the Abu3:49al-Duhur strikes an unnecessary3:50escalation [music] that does not advance3:52regional stability, warned of rapid3:54escalation into a direct Israel-Turkey3:56confrontation, and said Washington is3:58actively working to establish a more3:59robust trilateral deconfliction4:01mechanism to prevent miscommunication.4:03Brookings specialist Asli Aydintasbas4:06framed the standoff as two US allies4:08sliding toward direct rivalry on Syrian4:10soil,4:10>> [music]4:11>> where one side's reconstruction visit is4:12the other's red line. Turkey backing a4:14unified, centralized Syria under Ahmed4:16al-Sharaa, while Israel seeks to block4:18new threats and maintain freedom of4:20action in the south. Turkish official4:22channels denounced the strikes [music]4:23promptly and sharply and demanded an end4:25to reckless attacks, explicitly linking4:27Netanyahu's actions to politics ahead of4:29the October 27th, 2026 [music]4:31legislative elections. At the same time,4:34some reporting characterized President4:35Recep Tayyip Erdogan's own tone as4:37uncharacteristically restrained amid US4:40requests for restraint, a contrast4:41[music] to the presidency's firm4:43denunciation, while Defense Minister4:45Katz warned Erdogan against dangerous4:47adventures. What remains unresolved is4:49whether a Turkish deployment was ever4:51imminent, what the full material cost is4:53beyond the runway craters to hangars,4:55storage, and refurbished aircraft, what4:57specifically made the January4:58deconfliction arrangement inadequate,5:00and whether a stronger trilateral5:02mechanism can be agreed before the next5:03test [music] of the refusal to tolerate5:05a Turkish presence, how Erdogan's5:06calibrated restraint will hold under5:08domestic pressure, and how the election5:10calendar will shape the choice to strike5:12or to talk.5:14Like and follow for more stories that5:15matter.Explore with HeyDexThe shortThe short ↗