The Israeli attack on the abandoned Abu al-Duhur air base in Idlib province is causing new friction between Israel and Turkey. Netanyahu said Israel would not tolerate a Turkish military presence expanding southward, as this poses a threat.
Earlier, Israel had warned in general terms against a Turkish presence at an airfield near Aleppo. Since that message apparently did not get through, Israel made sure it was understood more clearly, Netanyahu said. Turkey rejected the accusations and accused Netanyahu of pursuing an expansionist policy ahead of the Israeli elections.
The US ambassador to Turkey and special envoy for Syria, Tom Barrack, condemned the attack and blamed Israel for it. The Syrian transitional government also called it an “unjustified act of aggression.” The airfield has been out of operation since 2012 and is currently being repaired with Turkish help, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Source: www.spiegel.de
