US criticizes Israel over Syrian airbase strike

The United States issued rare public criticism of Israel on August 18, 2026, after Israeli warplanes conducted unannounced airstrikes on a Syrian military airbase near the Turkish border, an attack that a senior American envoy warned risked triggering a broader regional conflict. The strike targeted the Abu al-Duhur Airbase in Syria's northwestern Idlib province, which has served as a training center for the country's new armed forces following the overthrow of the Assad government in December 2024.

U.S. Special Presidential Envoy Tom Barrack, who also serves as the ambassador to Turkey, directly attributed the attack to Israel and condemned it as an "unnecessary escalation." In a statement on social media, Barrack expressed deep concern that the confirmed strikes "do not advance regional stability." He defended the current Syrian interim government led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, stating it "has neither adopted a predatory posture nor maintained proxy forces" and has repeatedly signaled a preference for de-escalation with Israel. Barrack announced that Washington was moving rapidly to establish a trilateral deconfliction channel between Israel, Syria, and Turkey to prevent future clashes.