Israeli airstrikes target Abu al-Duhur military base in Syria

Early on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, a series of airstrikes hit the Abu al-Duhur military airbase in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province. While initial reports varied, state-run media confirmed eight Israeli strikes targeting the base's runway and storage facilities. No casualties were reported, according to military sources and local civilians living in the vicinity of the site, which is located approximately 70 kilometers from the Turkish border.

The base, which has been inactive as a functioning airfield since 2013 and saw extensive conflict throughout the 14-year Syrian civil war, had been repurposed as a training center for Syria’s new army following the ousting of Bashar al-Assad in late 2024. The Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the incident as an unjustified act of aggression and called for international intervention, while the U.S. special presidential envoy for Syria and Iraq, Tom Barak, characterized the strikes as an unnecessary escalation. The Israeli military has declined to comment on the operation, and no party has officially claimed responsibility. These events occur amid heightened regional tensions and recent rhetoric between Israel and Turkey regarding Syrian sovereignty.