By Bosphorus News Geopolitics Desk
Türkiye said Thursday it would continue supporting Syria's military capacity and infrastructure, rejecting Israel's account of the Abu al-Duhur airbase strike after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the attack as a warning against an expanding Turkish military presence in Syria.
The Ministry of National Defence said Israeli attacks violating Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity were unacceptable and called for an end to actions damaging the country's security, stability and infrastructure.
Ankara said its support for Syria would continue under the principle of "one state, one army," including assistance to strengthen the Syrian military's own capacity and infrastructure.
The ministry also said no Turkish military delegation was at Abu al-Duhur before or during the Israeli attack.
Ankara Rejects Israeli Account of Abu al-Duhur
Netanyahu said Israel would not tolerate Türkiye establishing a military presence farther south in Syria and presented the August 18 strike as a warning to Ankara.
In an interview Wednesday, Netanyahu said Israel had already told Türkiye not to establish such a presence. After those warnings were ignored, he said, "We made sure they understood it more clearly."
His remarks followed a statement from the Prime Minister's Office saying Israel and Syria had reached a security understanding that Damascus was close to breaching by allowing Turkish troops to deploy at an airbase near Aleppo.
The Israeli military has not publicly commented on the operation. Syrian state television, citing a military source, reported eight strikes on the runway at Abu al-Duhur in eastern Idlib and no casualties.
Türkiye and Syria reject Israel's account.
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani has confirmed that Turkish military officers visited Abu al-Duhur several days before the attack for training and exchanges of military expertise. He said there was no plan to establish a Turkish base, maintain a permanent Turkish military presence or deploy Turkish forces there.
The Turkish Defense Ministry addressed a narrower point on Thursday: no Turkish military delegation was at the facility before or during the Israeli strike.
Israel has treated a possible Turkish presence at the airbase as a security concern. Ankara and Damascus acknowledge military cooperation but deny that Turkish forces were about to be stationed at Abu al-Duhur.
Duran Calls Netanyahu 'Genocidal'
Presidential Communications Director Burhanettin Duran responded directly to Netanyahu on Thursday, accusing the Israeli prime minister of using hostility toward Türkiye for political purposes ahead of Israel's October 27 election.
Duran described Netanyahu as "genocidal" and said Türkiye would continue opposing what he called the Israeli leader's destabilizing activities.
"Türkiye will continue to fight the destabilizing activities of genocidal Netanyahu and stand by all states pursuing peaceful policies in our region, particularly Syria," Duran said.
Duran also said Türkiye's approach to national security had not changed. He described the country as a cautious and powerful NATO member and said the state would take whatever steps it considered necessary when its security, survival or the safety of its citizens was at stake.
Netanyahu's campaign has already brought Türkiye into Israel's domestic political debate. Likud billboards in Tel Aviv show President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan alongside Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. The Hebrew message says they want Netanyahu to lose and urges voters not to let them win.
Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has also accused Netanyahu of failing to respond adequately to what he describes as a growing Turkish threat.
Mossad Raised Türkiye Four Days Before the Strike
Israeli concern over Abu al-Duhur was already being discussed with Damascus before the attack.
Reuters reported that Mossad Director Roman Gofman and Shaibani spoke by telephone on August 14, four days before the Israeli strikes. People familiar with the conversation said Israel raised possible Turkish troop deployments, weapons sales and drone supplies to the Syrian military.
The call puts Türkiye's military role inside direct Israeli-Syrian contacts before the runway was hit.
Haaretz reported that Israel acted on intelligence indicating Damascus was preparing to permit a Turkish deployment and viewed the strike as a warning intended to stop that move rather than the start of a broader campaign.
Türkiye has answered with official statements rather than a retaliatory military pledge. President Erdoğan has made no such commitment, while the Defense Ministry says military cooperation with Damascus will continue.
Washington is trying to keep the dispute from producing a direct confrontation. US special envoy Tom Barrack has proposed reviving a deconfliction mechanism between Israel and Syria with Türkiye able to participate, creating a standing channel for military communication.
The Defense Ministry said the Israeli strike would not alter Türkiye's support for rebuilding Syria's military capacity.
Sources: Türkiye's Ministry of National Defence, Türkiye's Directorate of Communications, Israel's Prime Minister's Office, Reuters, Haaretz, Al Jazeera, Agence France-Presse, Syrian state television, SANA, Bosphorus News review and reporting.