The Israeli military bombed an airbase in Syria, far from the Israeli border, sparking condemnation not only from Syria, but also Turkey and the Trump administration. U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack accused Israel of an “unnecessary escalation that does not advance regional stability.” Nick Schifrin spoke with Barrack to discuss the tensions.Notice: Transcripts are machine and human generated and lightly edited for accuracy. They may contain errors.
Amna Nawaz:
Much of the world's attention has been focused on the stalemate in the U.S.-Iran war.Meanwhile, elsewhere in the Middle East, tensions are mounting between U.S. allies, Israel and Turkey in the once hotbed of civil war, Syria.Nick Schifrin has more.
Nick Schifrin:
Turkey and Israel are two of the U.S.' most important allies in the region. The strike exposes their increasing tension, with Syria caught in the middle.It was overnight Monday when Israeli warplanes bombed the Abu al-Duhur Air Base. Those circles are craters made by Israeli bombs on the runways. The air base is about 45 miles from the Turkish border, 180 miles north of Israel. At first, Israel did not claim responsibility.But then U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack, who is also U.S. special envoy to Syria, wrote on X: "The confirmed Israeli airstrikes on Abu al-Duhur Air Base constitute an unnecessary escalation that does not advance regional stability."After that, Israel acknowledged the strike. And Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was trying to prevent a Turkish troop deployment.
