A US envoy says Israel did not give a warning to the US ahead of a recent Syria air strike

ISTANBUL — Tom Barrack, the U.S. special envoy to Syria, said Israel did not warn the United States before it struck an air base in northern Syria this week, despite concerns about potential escalation involving the U.S. and NATO ally Turkey. (apnews.com)

Barrack said the attack happened on Tuesday and described the strike on the Abu Duhur base as something Israel “could have” done in a way that would draw a Turkish response, adding that he believed Turkey might have been bolstering its presence in the area. (apnews.com)

In contrast, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz contradicted the claim that there was no warning. Katz said Israel decided to alert senior members of the Syrian government and, “Simultaneously,” transferred intelligence reports to relevant U.S. authorities. (apnews.com)

After the strikes, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the base was attacked because Syria was “on the verge of breaching” an agreement by allowing Turkish troops to deploy there. (apnews.com)

Barrack also said another possible explanation for the strike involved a miscommunication between Israeli military and intelligence channels, and he described how close Israel and Turkey came to direct confrontation. (apnews.com)