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· collected 2026-08-20 · by Reuters
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani denied plans to establish a Turkish military presence at the Abu al-Duhur airbase in Syria, saying there was "no intention" to do so after an interview with US outlet Axios. Al-Shaibani made this statement despite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's claim that Israel had warned Syria not to allow a Turkish presence at the base before its attack earlier this week. No casualties were reported from the air strikes carried out by Israel, but international condemnation was swift. Turkey has rejected Israel's allegations over its military position in Syria and continues to support Syria's efforts to develop its own military capacity.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-20,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani has denied any plans for a Turkish military presence at the Abu al-Duhur airbase, which was attacked by Israel earlier in the week. Al-Shaibani said that while Turkish officials had visited the site as part of training and military cooperation, there were no plans to establish a permanent Turkish base or deploy Turkish forces. He claimed that the facility is largely empty and that he had made this clear to Israel after their air strikes on Tuesday, which hit the runway and storage facilities at the base near Aleppo. The attack by Israel marked their first strike on Syrian government assets since March.
Written for “Syrian Turkish Military Presence” on 2026-08-31,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
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Leaning score -0.35 for article 1404 (low confidence, 0 verified quotes) · logged 2026-08-21
Syria has no plans to establish a Turkish military presence at the Abu al-Duhur airbase attacked by Israel earlier this week, Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani has said.
asserted
Shaibani → have → Israel
Al-Shaibani said in an interview with the US news outlet Axios on Wednesday that while Turkish military officials had visited the site as part of training and broader military cooperation, he denied any Turkish military build-up, explaining that the facility was largely empty.
asserted
facility → say → up
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asserted
Israel → drop → Syria
“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, adding that he had made this clear to Israel.
asserted
this → be → Israel
On Tuesday, Israel carried out eight air strikes on the runway and storage facilities at the Abu al-Duhur base near Aleppo, state media reported, in what appeared to be Israel’s first attack on Syrian government assets since March.
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what → carry → March
No casualties were reported from the attack, which drew international condemnation.
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which → report → condemnation
Al-Shaibani said Israel had no legitimate justification for attacking the facility.
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Israel → say → facility
He said that while Syria remained open to negotiations with Israel on de-escalation, any future deal must address the security concerns of both countries, reiterating that Israeli military operations would increase regional instability.
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operations → say → instability
The strikes came amid worsening security tensions between Israel and Turkiye over Syria, where both countries’ militaries are active.
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militaries → come → Syria
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel warned Syria ahead of the strike not to allow a Turkish presence at the base.
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Israel → say → base
I guess they didn’t quite understand the message,” Netanyahu said on Wednesday.
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Netanyahu → guess → Wednesday
On Thursday morning, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz claimed that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was “dragging Turkiye into dangerous adventures in Syria”.
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Erdogan → claim → Syria
“Israel will not allow any entity to threaten its security,” he said.
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he → allow → security
“It is preferable for Erdogan to continue delivering empty, delusional speeches against Israel in the Turkish parliament rather than testing Israel’s resolve to defend itself,” Katz added.
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Katz → continue → itself
Turkiye has rejected what it called “untenable allegations” by Israel over its military position in Syria.
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it → reject → Syria
The Turkish defence ministry said on Thursday that Ankara would continue supporting Syria’s efforts to develop its own military capacity and infrastructure.
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Ankara → say → capacity
It said there was no military delegation at the air base hit by Israel before or during the attacks, calling for the international community to take more concrete and effective measures against Israel’s actions, which it said threatened regional peace and stability.
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it → say → peace
Turkiye, a NATO member, has emerged as one of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s main allies and has accused Israel of trying to destabilise Syria and undermine its new administration.
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Turkiye → emerge → administration
It has also repeatedly called for international pressure and measures on Israel to respect Syria’s territorial integrity.
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It → call → integrity
Last year, Turkiye and Israel established a line of communication to avoid any incidents in Syria.
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Turkiye → establish → Syria
