In late August 2026, a series of high-level diplomatic and intelligence engagements unfolded between Syria and Israel after a sharp military escalation in northwestern Syria. On August 18, the Israeli Air Force carried out airstrikes on the Abu al-Duhur Military Airbase in Idlib province. As regional tensions rose, Syrian Foreign Minister Assaad Al-Shibani met with Roman Gofman, Director of Israel’s Mossad, in Jordan on August 23 to negotiate de-escalation measures and explore a framework for a broader security arrangement.
The Abu al-Duhur Airbase Engagement
The Israeli operation began on the morning of August 18, when aircraft launched four raids and fired at least eight precision munitions at the Abu al-Duhur Military Airbase in southeastern Idlib. The strikes inflicted heavy damage on recently renovated runways and several aircraft hangars, though no casualties were reported. Shibani later clarified that the airbase was undergoing restoration exclusively for Syrian Air Force use and remained under full Syrian sovereignty. The site, he noted, was largely unoccupied and not yet operational at the time of the attack.
Israel justified the strike as a preventive measure intended to block what it described as a Turkish military buildup and the deployment of advanced defense systems near Israel’s northern sphere of concern. Both Damascus and Ankara firmly rejected these claims, insisting that no plans existed for a permanent Turkish presence or base at Abu al-Duhur. A recent visit by Turkish officers, they explained, was part of routine military cooperation focused on training and technical exchange—an arrangement Syria also maintains with countries such as Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
International reaction was swift. Tom Barrack, the U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Syria and Iraq, criticized the airstrikes as an unnecessary escalation that undermined regional stability. He added that Israeli intelligence assessments regarding an imminent Turkish troop deployment were inaccurate.
Israeli Internal Politics and Strategic Debate
The decision to strike Abu al-Duhur ignited debate within Israel’s political and military establishments. An Israeli Air Force official involved in operational planning told the Israeli outlet Mako that the decision to attack originated at the political level rather than from military pressure related to Turkish movements. This contradicted earlier briefings suggesting that the IDF had urged political leaders to act.
Political opposition figures accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of deliberately escalating tensions with Türkiye for electoral advantage ahead of the upcoming vote. Commentary in Haaretz warned against drawing Israel into an avoidable confrontation. At the same time, a security official speaking to Kan News stressed that Israel does not seek to make an enemy of Türkiye and continues to maintain covert channels designed to prevent direct military friction.
Syrian–Israeli Security Negotiations
On August 23, Foreign Minister Shibani and Mossad Director Roman Gofman met in Jordan to manage the immediate crisis. According to reporting by Axios, the session focused on containment and on preventing the situation from widening into a broader conflict. Neither the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office nor Syrian officials issued public statements regarding the private meeting.
Earlier in 2026, Damascus and Tel Aviv had reached a tentative draft agreement outlining key security parameters, though diplomatic channels were later frozen amid wider regional turmoil. The draft included non-aggression guarantees, commitments to avoid interference, provisions for Israeli withdrawal from newly occupied territory, and the establishment of graduated border security zones inside Syria. These zones envisioned an exclusive UN-monitored buffer area, followed by tiered deployment zones permitting variable levels of Syrian military presence.
Shibani stated in an interview with Reuters that Syria’s foremost priority is an immediate halt to Israeli strikes and a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from territories occupied after the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime. While acknowledging Israel’s regional security concerns, he insisted that any agreement must respect Syrian sovereignty and end violations of its airspace and territorial integrity.
The United States has been working to establish a tripartite de-confliction mechanism involving Israel, Syria, and Türkiye. Damascus maintains that any such framework must facilitate an Israeli withdrawal rather than entrenching an occupation.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
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