Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu officially confirmed Tuesday that Israel carried out an overnight strike on a military base in northwestern Syria, saying Damascus was preparing to violate the security status quo and threaten Israel’s security.
The Prime Minister’s Office released a statement in English, taking responsibility for the strike and explaining that Syria had moved to allow Turkish troops to deploy at an air base near Aleppo—despite repeated Israeli warnings that such a deployment would constitute a threat.
“Israel and Syria agreed to maintain the status quo on security matters, which Syria was about to violate by allowing Turkish forces to deploy at an air base near Aleppo,” the statement read. “Israel repeatedly warned Syria that such a deployment would constitute a threat to Israel’s security. Syria chose to ignore these warnings.” The statement concluded with an unequivocal message: “Israel will not tolerate threats to its security and would welcome a return to the status quo.”