Syrian official says ‘no plans’ to establish Turkish military presence

Syria has no intends to establish a Turkish military presence at the Abu al-Duhur airbase attacked by Israel earlier this week, Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani has stated.

Key points

• On Thursday morning, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz asserted that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was "dragging Turkiye into dangerous adventures in Syria".
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remarked Israel cautioned Syria ahead of the strike not to allow a Turkish presence at the base.
• "It is preferable for Erdogan to continue delivering empty, delusional speeches against Israel in the Turkish parliament rather than testing Israel's resolve to defend itself, " Katz continued.
• The Turkish defence ministry remarked on Thursday that Ankara would continue supporting Syria's efforts to develop its own military capacity and infrastructure.
• The strikes came against the backdrop of worsening security tensions between Israel and Turkiye over Syria, where both countries' militaries are active.

Al-Shaibani remarked in an interview with the US news outlet Axios on Wednesday that while Turkish military office-holders had visited the site as part of training and broader military cooperation, he denied any Turkish military build-up, explaining that the facility was largely empty.

"There was no intention to establish a Turkish base there, nor to establish a permanent Turkish military presence or deploy Turkish forces at the site, " al-Shaibani remarked, adding that he had produced this clear to Israel.

On Tuesday, Israel carried out eight air strikes on the runway and storage facilities at the Abu al-Duhur base near Aleppo, state media documented, in what appeared to be Israel's first attack on Syrian administration assets since March. No casualties were documented from the attack. It drew international condemnation. Al-Shaibani remarked Israel had no legitimate justification for attacking the facility.

He remarked that while Syria remained open to negotiations with Israel on de-escalation, any future agreement must address the security reservations of both countries, reiterating that Israeli military operations would rise regional instability.

Notably, the strikes came against the backdrop of worsening security tensions between Israel and Turkiye over Syria, where both countries' militaries are active.

"Our message was particularly clear. Don't. I guess they didn't quite understand the message, " Netanyahu remarked on Wednesday.

"Israel will not allow any entity to threaten its security, " he remarked.

Turkiye has rejected what it called "untenable allegations" by Israel over its military position in Syria.

Notably, the Turkish defence ministry remarked on Thursday that Ankara would continue supporting Syria's efforts to develop its own military capacity and infrastructure.

It remarked there was no military delegation at the air base hit by Israel before or during the attacks, calling for the international community to take more concrete and effective measures against Israel's actions. It it stated threatened regional peace and stability.

Turkiye, a NATO member, has emerged as one of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa's main allies and has accused Israel of trying to destabilise Syria and undermine its new administration.

It has additionally repeatedly called on international pressure and measures on Israel to respect Syria's territorial integrity.

Last year, Turkiye and Israel established a line of communication to avoid any incidents in Syria.

Taken together, the developments around syrian official says 'no plans' to establish Turkish military presence point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.