Expert: Israel strikes at Turkey`s  military ambitions in Syria

ArmInfo.  Israel will not allow Turkey to turn Syria into a Turkish military bridgehead,  according to  Israeli political scientist Alexander Tsinker.

Commenting on reports that Israel carried out eight strikes on the  Abu al-Duhur airbase in the Idlib province on the night of August 18,  the expert noted that available information indicates damage to the  runway and storage facilities, with no casualties reported. 

 "Israel is officially maintaining silence, but U.S. Envoy Tom  Barrack has already called the attack an 'unnecessary escalation'.  According to Israeli media reports, the U.S. received sensitive  intelligence in advance regarding what was happening at the base.  However, what interests me most here is the choice of target. Turkey  was helping to restore Abu al-Duhur, and a Turkish delegation  recently visited the site. At the same time, Ankara is installing  radars in Syria and participating in the restoration of the air  defense system. For Turkey, this means strengthening the allied  regime of Ahmed al-Sharaa. For Israel, it means a gradual restriction  of its operational freedom in the air," the analyst believes. 

Tsinker believes that Ankara's sharp reaction to the strikes on Idlib  stems from these factors. He recalled that the Turkish Foreign  Ministry demanded an end to Israeli aggression and that Israel be  held accountable.  "Turkey reacted almost as if the strike had been  carried out on its own base. Politically, I think it basically was.  Previously, Israel destroyed warehouses, headquarters, and air  defense systems in Syria that Iran tried to use to dig in. Now, the  vacated space is being filled by Turkey. Erdogan is not the  ayatollahs, and Turkey is a NATO member. However, Turkish radars and  air defense systems are fully capable of restricting the operations  of the Israeli Air Force just as effectively as Iranian ones. If  Israel is indeed behind this strike, I see it as a new red line:  Damascus can be friends with Ankara, but it will not be permitted to  turn Syria into a Turkish military bridgehead," the analyst stated. 

Tsinker added that a new rival is emerging for Israel on the Syrian  playing field—one that is stronger, more ambitious, and formally a  U.S. ally. "It looks like they decided to break the concrete now,  before they have to destroy Turkish radars and air defense crews  along with it," the Israeli expert concluded.