Israeli airstrikes hit Syria’s Abu al-Duhur military airbase in eastern Idlib province early Tuesday, striking the runway and storage facilities, according to Syrian state television. Reuters reported eight Israeli strikes, citing Syria’s state-run Ekhbariya and a military source. AFP, Al Jazeera and several regional outlets reported four strikes and did not identify the attacking aircraft. No casualties were reported by any source, and the Israeli military declined to comment.
Abu al-Duhur sits roughly 40 kilometers east of Idlib city and about 70 kilometers from the Turkish border. The base has been out of dedicated military use since 2013, when rebel forces overran the installation after a prolonged siege, and changed hands repeatedly during Syria’s civil war. Since Bashar al-Assad’s fall in late 2024, Syrian forces have used it as a training center for the country’s new army, according to Reuters.
The strike follows weeks of reported Israeli concern over Syria’s efforts to rebuild its air force. Israeli public broadcaster Kan reported on August 11 that Damascus had recruited new pilots, resumed flight training and carried out its first exercise involving Sukhoi Su-22 fighter-bombers under the post-Assad government. Separate footage circulated online in recent days appeared to show Su-22 aircraft conducting training flights over northern Syria. Kan also reported that Israeli security officials had conveyed their concerns about Syria’s military aviation program to Washington. Israel has not publicly linked Tuesday’s strike to those developments, and the immediate trigger for the attack remains unconfirmed.
If the timing proves deliberate, however, the strike would indicate that Israel is prepared to disrupt Syria’s military reconstruction at an early stage rather than wait for new capabilities to become operational. Unlike many previous Israeli operations in Syria, which focused on Iranian weapons transfers, Hezbollah-linked infrastructure or air-defense systems, Abu al-Duhur appears to have been targeted because of its role in rebuilding Syria’s own conventional military capabilities.
The attack also comes amid rising Israeli-Turkish friction over Syria. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan accused Israel earlier this month of undermining Syrian stability through repeated military strikes, while Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned President Recep Tayyip Erdogan against actions Israel considers threatening along its northern frontier. Neither government has commented specifically on the Abu al-Duhur strike.
Whether Tuesday’s operation was intended simply to damage military infrastructure or to establish new limits on Syria’s military rebuilding remains unclear. What is becoming increasingly evident, however, is that Israel is closely monitoring the post-Assad government’s efforts to restore conventional military capabilities and appears willing to act before those capabilities mature.
