Syria Slams Israel, Says Airbase Strike Halted Contacts

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said contact between Israel and Syria was cut following Israel’s recent strike on the Abu al-Duhur Airbase.

By United with Israel Staff

Syria issued a harsh condemnation Saturday after an Israeli strike near Beit Jinn in southwestern Syria, accusing Israel of violating Syrian sovereignty, while the IDF said it targeted an armed terrorist in the final stages of preparing an explosive attack against Israeli troops.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry said an Israeli drone targeted a vehicle near Beit Jinn, approximately 10 kilometers from the Israeli border, and claimed that civilians were wounded in the strike.

Damascus called the attack a “flagrant violation” of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and accused Israel of repeatedly carrying out strikes on Syrian soil.

The ministry said Syria held Israel “fully responsible” for the consequences of the attack and called on the international community and UN Security Council to take action against what it described as repeated Israeli violations.

The IDF, however, said the strike eliminated an immediate threat to its forces.

According to the military, the target was an armed terrorist preparing to carry out an improvised explosive device attack against Israeli troops. Preparations for the attack had reached their final stages when the IDF struck him.

The latest confrontation came as Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said Damascus nevertheless expects negotiations with Israel over a security agreement to resume soon.

Speaking to Reuters in Damascus on Saturday, Shaibani said talks had been frozen since the outbreak of the Iran war and that contact between Israel and Syria was cut following Israel’s recent strike on the Abu al-Duhur Airbase.

“I believe negotiations will resume soon,” Shaibani said.

“We believe there should be contact, especially with a party that constantly threatens the security of Syria. But if this contact doesn’t bring results, then we don’t need it,” he added. “We do not trust Israel currently.”

Shaibani said Damascus’s immediate priority was to halt Israeli military operations before reaching a security agreement.

The first step, he said, was to “stop Israeli aggression even before reaching a security agreement,” after which “perhaps we can open the topics of peace and the Golan.”

Shaibani also urged Israel to seize what he described as a “historic opportunity” for diplomacy, while accusing Jerusalem of relying unsuccessfully on military force to guarantee its security.

His comments came days after Israel confirmed striking the Abu al-Duhur Airbase in northwestern Syria. Jerusalem said the strike was carried out after repeated warnings that a planned Turkish military deployment at the facility would pose a threat to Israel.

Despite the latest strikes and increasingly sharp rhetoric, Shaibani’s comments suggest Damascus remains interested in restarting negotiations with Jerusalem, although significant disagreements over Israel’s military operations and security demands remain.