US envoy condemns Israeli strikes on Syrian airbase
The US special envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, has condemned Israeli strikes against an airbase in northern Syria.
Amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, the US special envoy to Syria condemned Israeli strikes on a Syrian airbase, according to Middle East Eye and agencies on August 19th.
Tom Barrack defended the Syrian government after an Israeli strike against the Abu al-Duhur military airbase in northern Syria’s Idlib on August 18th; he called it an “unnecessary escalation.”
Barrack wrote on X, “The Al-Sharaa government has neither adopted a predatory posture nor maintained proxy forces. It has, in fact, repeatedly indicated a preference for de-escalation with Israel.”
“We are deeply concerned. [This] does not advance regional stability.”
On August 12th, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz stated that Israeli forces will not withdraw from Gaza, Lebanon and Syria.
Since 1967, Israel has occupied southern Syria’s Golan Heights, which it annexed in 1981, a move only recognised as legitimate by the US and Colombia.
Under the “Greater Israel” plan, Israel envisions expanding its territories to fully encompass Gaza, the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem, the Golan Heights, Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, parts of Lebanon and Jordan.
An estimated 25,000 Jewish settlers reside in settlements in the Golan Heights, in violation of the 1974 UN disengagement agreement.
Northern Syria is not considered part of a “Greater Israel”; however, Israel has expressed concerns about Syria rebuilding its air force in Idlib.
Located near the Turkish border in northwestern Syria, Idlib is a hub for Islamic State militants, who have called for attacks against the Alawite community for its support of the Assad regime.
During the Syrian civil war, civilians in Idlib were attacked with incendiary weapons, which are illegal under international law.
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which is affiliated with al-Qaeda, ran prison camps in the Idlib province during the Assad regime.
In 2020, 100 people were killed in Jabal al-Duwaila camp in the Idlib province’s Kafr Takharim during regime-backed airstrikes against the anti-Assad training camp.
Maghrebi has contacted the Pentagon for comment on Barrack’s condemnation of the August 18th strikes, but has not received a response at the time of publication.
Middle East Eye and agencies, Al Jazeera and agencies, Maghrebi.org
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