Israel strike in Syria nearly triggers clash with Türkiye: US envoy

In Israel and Syria in late August 2026 (22 August), a US envoy said an Israeli strike on a Syrian air base risked confrontation with Turkey. The envoy suggested the strike may have sought to 'bait' Turkey ahead of elections and said the intelligence behind it was wrong; the envoy also said Israel did not warn the US beforehand. Israel said the US criticism was 'full of inaccuracies' and that it warned Syria before striking the airbase over a Turkish military threat. The IDF said it struck the airfield over a planned Turkish radar deployment.

Israel carried out a fresh strike in Syria after the US criticism; Damascus said an Israeli drone strike caused civilian injuries, and the IDF said it targeted a person it called a terrorist in southern Syria. Separately, Turkey requested an Interpol Red Notice for Netanyahu over the Gaza aid flotilla case, and Netanyahu called Erdogan an 'antisemitic dictator'.