US Envoy Warns Recent Israeli Airstrike Near Turkish Border Risked Escalation
US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack warned that a recent Israeli airstrike near the Turkish border nearly caused a major escalation, while urging regional solutions.
US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack has downplayed the likelihood of a direct military confrontation between Israel and Turkey, though he warned that a recent Israeli airstrike near the Turkish border nearly triggered a major escalation. Speaking at the Global Security Forum in Doha, Barrack called for regional solutions to ongoing conflicts.
Border Tensions and Syria
Barrack, who also serves as US President Donald Trump's special envoy to Syria and Iraq, highlighted a specific Israeli strike on August 18 at the Abu al-Duhur airbase in northern Syria. According to reports, Israel carried out eight airstrikes against the runway to prevent potential military escalation in the area, causing infrastructure damage but no casualties. "Turkey was not notified in advance of the arrival of the Israeli planes, and neither were we," Barrack revealed. He questioned whether the US should step in to halt such unilateral actions.
Regional Diplomacy and Yemen
Turning to Yemen and Iran, Barrack expressed skepticism regarding military interventions, noting that a ground intervention against the Houthis would be futile. He praised Syrian transitional leadership for its handling of the country and emphasized that Washington's evolving posture in the Middle East is one of strategic readjustment rather than outright abandonment.
