The Syrian Foreign Minister, Asad al Shaibani, has outright rejected the version offered by the Israeli government to justify the bombing of the Abu al Duhur airbase in the north of the country. As he has emphasized, contrary to what the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed, "there was no intention to establish a Turkish base there, nor a Turkish military presence."
"There was no intention to establish a Turkish base there, nor a permanent Turkish military presence, nor to deploy Turkish forces at the site," the head of Syrian diplomacy has reiterated in written statements sent to the American portal Axios, in which he insists that there is no "legitimate justification" for the attack.
Al Shaibani has explained that the work being carried out at the Abu al-Duhur base "was limited to the rehabilitation of the airfield and its facilities, damaged during the war," with the aim of returning it to service for the Syrian Air Force. "There was no Turkish military deployment at the base that would justify such an interpretation," he emphasized, while describing the facilities as practically empty and still in the process of refurbishment.
The minister has admitted that days before the bombing there was a visit by Turkish officials to the area, but he specified that it was part of the "ongoing military cooperation in training areas and specialized knowledge exchange," without implying the establishment of a foreign base.
In this context, he recalled that "Syria is currently working to rebuild its military and civilian institutions and develop its capabilities," which is why it resorts to training and collaboration programs with various partners. "Therefore, it benefits from cooperation and training programs with several countries, not just Turkey. Similar cooperation has occurred and continues with Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Qatar, and Russia," he indicated, before defending that "Syria is a sovereign state and has the right to establish cooperation and alliance relations with any country, including Turkey."
Al Shaibani has added that, before the Israeli attack, Damascus maintained contacts both with the Israeli Government and with the U.S. Administration, with which it has resumed dialogue after the bombing, and that "the nature of the activity at the base was known." "There was no basis to interpret the rehabilitation works as the establishment of a Turkish military base in Syrian territory," he emphasized.
Regarding the dialogue with Washington, the minister pointed out that, after the offensive, the Syrian authorities addressed the United States and other countries to present formal protests and "contain the repercussions of the attack and prevent it from happening again." "We wanted to clarify the Syrian position and emphasize the need to respect Syria's sovereignty and not turn its territory into a battlefield to settle scores or expand the regional conflict," he explained.
Al Shaibani has reiterated that Damascus is betting on "a de-escalation, because the ongoing military tension in the region does not benefit any party and does not contribute to the stability that Syria and the region in general need." In this regard, he urged Benjamin Netanyahu's government to "reevaluate its policy towards Syria and recognize that ongoing military operations and attacks will not provide long-term security, but will increase instability."
The Syrian official also responded to the office of the Israeli prime minister, which had stated that "Israel and Syria agreed to maintain the status quo in terms of security, which Syria has been about to break by allowing the deployment of Turkish troops at an airbase near Aleppo." In response to this accusation, the minister assured that "we made significant progress and reached a formula for the security agreement that had been agreed upon in writing. However, Israel subsequently retracted its commitments and the agreed formula was not implemented on the ground."
He then reproached that, just as Damascus "takes into account Israel's security concerns, Israel must also take into account Syria's security concerns and seriously address our concerns regarding its expansionist policy and its military operations within Syrian territory."
Al Shaibani has concluded that, with a "genuine political will," it would be possible to resume conversations and close agreements "that guarantee the security of both parties, respect the sovereignty of Syria, and contribute to greater stability in the region, instead of perpetuating the cycle of escalation."