Mossad chief Roman Gofman held a rare high-level conversation with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani just days before Israel launched airstrikes against a Syrian airbase, reportedly warning Damascus about Israel’s concerns over an expanding Turkish military presence in the country.
The phone conversation took place on August 14, Reuters reported Wednesday, citing three people familiar with the matter. Several days later, Israel struck the Abu al-Duhur airbase in the eastern Idlib countryside amid concerns that Turkish forces were preparing to establish a presence there.
The reported discussion between Gofman and al-Shaibani represents one of the most senior direct contacts known to have taken place between Israeli officials and Syria’s new government since Bashar al-Assad’s regime collapsed in December 2024.
The Prime Minister’s Office, which responds publicly on matters involving the Mossad, confirmed Tuesday evening that Israel’s strikes were driven by security concerns surrounding the prospective Turkish deployment.
“Israel and Syria agreed to a status quo in security matters, which Syria was on the verge of breaching by permitting Turkish troops to deploy at an airbase near Aleppo,” the Prime Minister’s Office said.
“Israel repeatedly warned Syria that such a deployment would pose a threat to Israel’s security. Syria chose to ignore these warnings. Israel will not tolerate threats to its security, and would welcome a return to the status quo,” the statement added.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the issue Wednesday, publicly warning that Israel will not accept a Turkish military deployment in Syria that it considers a threat to Israeli security.
“We will not tolerate a Turkish military presence in Syria that threatens Israel. We made the message clear: Don’t. Apparently, they didn’t hear it clearly enough, so we made sure they understood it better,” he said.
According to reports in Arab media, four airstrikes targeted the runway at Abu al-Duhur early Tuesday morning. The reports did not identify the aircraft responsible but said the attack caused damage to the runway. No injuries were reported.
The tensions surrounding Turkey’s presence in Syria come as Israel continues to closely monitor military developments across its northern frontier and warns against the establishment of forces it views as potentially hostile.
On Wednesday, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir visited the 210th Division and toured the Israeli security zone in southern Syria, where he warned that the military is closely following changes taking place across the Syrian front.
“We see what is happening and are monitoring the changes on the Syrian front – we must prepare for them accordingly. We will not allow hostile forces to establish themselves on our borders, and we will know how to use our operational capabilities precisely where and when needed,” Zamir said.
The IDF, Zamir added, must simultaneously prevent terrorist organizations from developing infrastructure near Israel and stop the emergence of a substantial conventional military threat along the border.
“We must prevent the development of terrorist threats, while also preventing the formation of a significant military threat on our borders,” he said.
Zamir cautioned that Israel continues to face threats on numerous fronts and that the military must remain prepared for a sudden deterioration in any one of them.
“We are still in a multi-front war, alert and operating in all arenas – escalation can develop in any one of them, and we must remain in constant readiness for that,” the Chief of Staff said.
During the visit, Zamir also expressed appreciation for the soldiers of the 210th Division and the reservists serving in the area, many of whom have accumulated hundreds of days of reserve duty since the war began.
“The entire people of Israel are deeply indebted to you,” Zamir concluded.
