Tel Aviv [Israel], August 22 (ANI): Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Saturday that the military has urged authorities "several times" to target Syria's Abu Duhur military airport last week due to intelligence suggesting Turkey intended to deploy forces at the facility.
The remarks came after Israel carried out airstrikes on the Abu al-Duhur military airport in Syria's eastern Idlib province.
According to the Times of Israel, Katz said that while the Israeli Air Force carried out the overnight strike, the operation was initially met with silence from the military before being acknowledged by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Katz stated that "The IDF recommended several times carrying out the strike on the Abu Duhur airport in Syria in light of the clear intelligence received regarding Turkey's intentions to carry out activities there that would endanger the security of the State of Israel".
Katz explained that prior to giving the green light, consultations were held alongside Netanyahu and military leadership, during which "it was agreed that before granting approval [for the strike], a direct warning would be issued to the Syrian regime at the highest levels in an attempt to prevent the move, and that is what was done."
He added that relevant authorities in the United States were simultaneously briefed on the intelligence.
After the warning "went unanswered," Katz confirmed that he and Netanyahu "authorised the IDF to carry out the strike, and it was successfully carried out".
Rejecting domestic criticism, Katz noted, according to Times of Israel, "The attempt by opposition figures and parts of the media to paint the operation in Syria in political colors stems from a combination of ignorance, a lack of understanding of Israel's security interests, and a constant desire to attack the government, and deserves condemnation".
The defence minister also hit back at comments made by US Ambassador to Turkey and special envoy for Syria and Iraq Tom Barrack.
In a recent interview, Barrack speculated that the strike might have been an attempt to "bait" Turkey into a conflict ahead of upcoming elections. Barrack additionally asserted that Israel was illegally occupying the Golan Heights, according to Times of Israel.
Katz strongly rebuked these statements, asserting that Barrack's remarks are "full of inaccuracies and positions that contradict the position of US President Trump".
Earlier on Thursday (local time), Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter had said Israel had received clear intelligence indicating that Turkey intended to significantly expand its military presence in Syria, describing the move as crossing a "red line", The Jerusalem Post reported.
"Those who needed to be exposed to the intelligence received it. Those who needed to know what was coming knew. We made clear that this was a violation of our understandings and that is why Israel acted as it did," he added.
On Wednesday (local time), Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also said Israel had sent a "clear message" to Turkey over its alleged plans to establish a military foothold in Syria, warning that Israel would not tolerate a Turkish military presence moving south.
He claimed that Israel had acted after receiving information that Turkey intended to establish itself at an airport south of its line near Aleppo.
On the contrary, according to Al Jazeera, the Turkish Defence Ministry stated that no Turkish military delegation was present at the base either before or during the Israeli attack.
Damascus similarly denied that there were any plans to establish a permanent Turkish military base at the facility.
However, Syrian officials acknowledged that Turkish officers had previously visited the airbase as part of bilateral military cooperation centred on training and the exchange of expertise, Al Jazeera reported.
Meanwhile, Israeli Defence Forces announced another operation in the region, stating that they fired towards a "terrorist" in southern Syria who allegedly advanced "terror attacks."
In a statement, the IDF wrote, "A short while ago, the IDF fired in southern Syria toward a terrorist who advanced terror attacks in final stages of preparation. The terrorist's activity posed an immediate threat to IDF soldiers. The IDF will continue to operate in order to remove any threat to IDF soldiers and Israeli civilians. (ANI)
Katz says IDF pushed for Abu Duhur airport strike after warnings to Syria went unanswered
