US envoy Barrack says Israel gave no warning ahead of Syria air strike

Key Points:

• Israel conducted an airstrike on the Abu Duhur air base in northern Syria without warning the United States, raising concerns about escalating tensions with Turkey, a U.S. and NATO ally, according to U.S. special envoy Tom Barrack.
• Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz disputed Barrack’s claim, stating that Israel had alerted senior Syrian officials and shared intelligence with the U.S. prior to the strike, which targeted the base due to fears of Turkish military deployment there.
• Barrack suggested the strike may have been a unilateral Israeli decision to prevent Turkey from increasing its presence near the border, highlighting risks of miscommunication that could have led to direct conflict between Israel and Turkey.
• The attack caused damage but no casualties, and Turkey has not indicated any military response, although the incident has further strained already tense Turkish-Israeli relations amid ongoing regional complexities.
• The U.S. envoy also noted that Israel continues to occupy the Golan Heights in violation of U.N. resolutions, a position contested by Israeli officials who reference U.S. policy changes under the Trump administration.