Tom Barrack, the U.S. envoy to Syria and Lebanon, continued his criticism of Israel Tuesday evening, speaking out against the Jewish state for a second time following its strike in Syria. Barrack claimed Israel should have notified Turkey about the strike in Syria, because Erdoğan could have easily prepared a counter-response to Israeli aircraft and hit them.
1+Passing intelligence about the strike to Turkey—a country that no longer maintains official relations with Israel—is a highly unrealistic request from Barrack. Sharing such information would likely have compromised the operation, since Turkey and Syria have maintained close contact since Assad’s fall. Moreover, a senior Israeli official told Fox News that senior American officials knew about the attack—and didn’t see fit to update Erdoğan’s government.
Earlier, Barrack condemned the Israeli strike in Syria in unusually harsh terms, saying he was “very concerned.” The criticism came after Israeli jets struck the Tartus province in northwestern Syria, near the Mediterranean coast. The targets included a Syrian Air Force military base, with strikes aimed at runways and storage depots, according to Arab media.
1+After the strikes, Damascus confirmed it possesses nuclear material. Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani said at a press conference with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi that Syria holds such material and will use it for “energy and peace” purposes.