Israel confirms strikes on Idlib airbase after US envoy condemns attack

Damascus has not yet issued an official statement on the incident. The strikes took place about 70 kilometers from the Turkish border.

Four airstrikes were carried out overnight against the Abu al-Duhur military airfield in Idlib province in northwestern Syria, Arab media reported on Tuesday. 

The identity of the aircraft that carried out the strikes remains unknown, and Damascus has not yet issued an official statement on the incident. The strikes took place about 70 kilometers from the Turkish border.

A correspondent for the Qatari Al Jazeera network reported that the four strikes targeted the runway of the military base, located in the eastern Idlib countryside.

The network's correspondent in Damascus said that information about the incident remained scarce and that Syrian authorities had not issued an official response. Other Arab media outlets also reported that the strikes were carried out by "unidentified fighter jets."

Hezbollah-affiliated Al Mayadeen network suggested that Israel was behind the attack, though the IDF has not addressed any recent strikes in Syria, and other reports in the region did not determine that the Israeli Air Force had carried out the strikes. 

Military airfield changed hands repeatedly

The Abu al-Duhur airfield is located east of the city of Idlib and dozens of kilometers from the Turkish border. The military base changed hands several times during the Syrian civil war. In 2015, rebel forces captured it following a prolonged siege, and in early 2018 it returned to the control of forces loyal to Bashar al-Assad's regime. In November 2024, rebel forces recaptured it during the offensive that ultimately led to the collapse of the Assad regime.

Since Assad's fall, the area has been under the control of Syria's new government, led by Ahmed al-Sharaa.

As of Tuesday morning, there have been no reports of casualties from the strikes or of the extent of damage to the runway and facilities at the airfield.