Syria says no Turkish military build-up planned at airbase struck by Israel

Aug 20 (Reuters) – Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said he made clear to Israel there were no plans to establish a Turkish military base at Abu al-Duhur airbase, which Israel struck on Tuesday, saying the site was being rehabilitated for use by the Syrian Air Force.

Al-Shaibani said Turkish military officers had visited the base as part of training and broader military cooperation. He denied any Turkish military build-up, sayingthe facility was largely empty and not yet operational.

“There was no intention to establish a Turkish base there, nor to establish a permanent Turkish military presence or deploy Turkish forces at the site,” Al-Shaibani said in an interview with Axios on Wednesday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesdaythat Israel warned Syria ahead of the strike not to allow a Turkish presence at the base.

“Our message was very clear. Don’t. I guess they didn’t quite understand the message,” Netanyahu added.

Al-Shaibani saidIsrael had no legitimate justification for the bombing.

Syria remained open to negotiations with Israel on de-escalation, he said. The two sides had made significant progress toward a security agreement during a year of U.S.-mediated talks, but Israel later backed away from commitments and the agreement was not implemented, he added.

Al-Shaibani said any future deal must address the security concerns of both sides and respect Syrian sovereignty, warning that continued Israeli military operations would increase regional instability.

(Reporting by Ahmed Tolba in Cairo; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)