Turkey firmly rejected on Wednesday what it called “untenable allegations” by Israel regarding its military position in Syria, after Israel bombed a Syrian airbase near the Turkish border and said Syria was on the verge of permitting Turkish troops to deploy there.

But Syrian officials admitted Wednesday that Turkish officials had visited the base in question a day before the Israeli strikes.

Israel struck the Abu al-Duhur base near Aleppo on Tuesday, drawing condemnation from Turkey and criticism from US Ambassador Tom Barrack, who called the attack an “unnecessary escalation.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office accused Syria late Tuesday of being on the verge of violating a “status quo agreed with Israel in security matters” by allowing Turkish troops to deploy at the airbase, adding that such a deployment would threaten Israel’s security.

In response, Turkey’s presidency said Wednesday that the “imputations” from Netanyahu’s office stemmed from his intention to pursue “expansionist and destabilizing policies” ahead of the upcoming national election in Israel, adding that lasting regional peace could only be achieved if Israel respected international law and abandoned its “aggressive and coercive policies.”

“The untenable allegations put forward by the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office are intended to legitimize Israel’s unlawful airstrikes targeting Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” it said on X, without explicitly referring to any potential deployment........

© The Times of Israel