Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu [AFP]
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu [AFP]

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Wednesday that Israel struck an air base in northern Syria because Turkey ignored Israeli warnings, and said he would not tolerate any further Turkish military buildup in the country.

In a video released Wednesday, Netanyahu said the strike on the Abu al-Duhur air base in Idlib province — about 185 miles (approximately 297 kilometers) from Israel — was a direct response to Turkey's failure to heed Israeli warnings against expanding its military presence in Syria.

"We told Turkey clearly: 'Don't,'" Netanyahu said. "They apparently didn't get the message, so we made sure they understood."

He then warned that Israel "will not tolerate a Turkish military buildup in Syria that threatens Israel," and addressed Turkey directly in English with a single word: "Don't."

Netanyahu's government has long viewed Turkey — with which Israel has had a fraught relationship — as a growing threat as Ankara expands its military influence in Syria, which shares a border with Israel.

Wednesday's strike on the Abu al-Duhur air base in Idlib province is believed to have been carried out against that backdrop.

Meanwhile, in connection with Netanyahu's remarks that Iran had also warned about Turkey's military buildup in Syria, Reuters reported that Mossad Director Roman Gofman spoke by phone with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani on Aug. 14 — four days before the airstrike.

Three sources familiar with the matter said Gofman and Shaibani discussed Turkey's military presence in Syria during the Aug. 14 call.

The call took place four days before Israel struck the Syrian air base.

The contact is considered one of the highest-level exchanges between Israel and Syria's new government since the fall of former dictator Bashar al-Assad's regime.

Israel's Prime Minister's Office, which handles media inquiries related to Mossad, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for Foreign Minister Shaibani also declined to comment.


mokiya@heraldcorp.com