Israeli warplanes hit Abu al-Duhur airbase in Syria's Idlib, no casualties

IDLIB — Israeli warplanes carried out at least eight airstrikes on the abandoned Abu al-Duhur military airport in the Idlib province in northern Syria early on Tuesday.Local sources said the attacks were carried out at around 3 am local time (0000GMT).There ‌were no casualties, according to a military source and a civilian who lives near the base.The Israeli attacks targeted the runway ​and storage facilities at the base, Syria’s state-run Ekhbariya said, citing a military source.Syria’s Foreign Ministry condemns what it says was an unjustified Israeli attack on an airbase in the country’s northwest earlier Tuesday, while Israel has not commented on the incident.Syria “condemns in the strongest terms the Israeli airstrikes targeting” the Abu Duhur military air base in Idlib province “and considers them an unjustified act of aggression,” a Foreign Ministry statement says, urging the international community and the United Nations Security Council to “take a firm position against Israel’s repeated violations of Syrian sovereignty.”The base, about 70 km (43.5 miles) from the Turkish border, has been ​out of service as a dedicated military airfield since 2013 and ⁠changed hands several times during Syria’s 14-year civil war between forces loyal ​to former President Bashar al-Assad and opposition factions.Since Assad was ousted in late 2024, ​the base has been used as a training center for Syria’s new army, according to the military source.The strikes come amid heightened security tensions between Israel and Turkey and increasingly ​sharp rhetoric between the two countries over Syria.Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said ​in an August 6 speech that Israel continued to threaten Syria’s security through its repeated ‌attacks, ⁠calling for pressure on Israel to respect Syria’s territorial integrity.Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz, for his part, has issued direct warnings to Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, saying Israel would not allow steps that strengthened Syria’s military capabilities in ways that ​could pose a ​threat to Israel.Syria ⁠conducted air exercises in the north of the country in early August using Russian-made MiG-21 fighter jets, the first such ​exercises since Assad’s ouster.Israel’s Kan public broadcaster reported on August ​11 that ⁠Israeli security officials had detected signs that Syria was accelerating efforts to rebuild its air force, including the recruitment of new pilots, flight training and a first ⁠exercise involving ​fighter aircraft.Kan quoted an Israeli security source as ​saying Israel was closely monitoring the developments and had shared its concerns with the United States.Following the fall of the Assad regime, Israel expanded its attacks across Syria, targeting weapons and missile depots as well as strategic military sites.Earlier, Israel carried out attacks in Syria targeting Iranian forces and Hezbollah positions.