US 'Deeply Concerned' After Israeli Strikes on Syrian Base

Washington is publicly pushing back on Israel over its latest assault in Syria. On Tuesday, Tom Barrack, the US special envoy for Syria and Iraq and US ambassador to Turkey, labeled Israeli airstrikes on the Abu Duhur air base in Idlib province an "unnecessary escalation" that he said does nothing to support regional stability, per NBC News. In a statement on X, a "deeply concerned" Barrack urged all sides to favor talks over "kinetic" action and noted that Syria's interim government has signaled it wants to dial down tensions with Israel.

Syrian state TV reported that eight strikes hit the air base's runway, causing damage but no casualties. Israel hasn't commented. A UK-based war monitor said foreign fighters had recently left the base and that Turkey, a key backer of Syria's new authorities, has been refurbishing the long-idle facility as Israeli strikes in Syria continue after the fall of Bashar al-Assad. Reuters notes that Israel bombed Syria on the regular even when Assad was in power, in attempts to dampen Iranian influence there.