Turkey has publicly condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accusing him of pursuing "expansionist and destabilizing policies" following an Israeli airstrike on a Syrian airbase this week. The strike has heightened tensions between Ankara and Jerusalem, both of which are active players in shaping Syria's post-conflict security landscape, and risks drawing the two regional powers into deeper confrontation over influence in the country.

Netanyahu's office took responsibility for the Tuesday morning strike on the Abu al-Duhur airbase near Aleppo, saying it acted because Syria was about to breach a security understanding by allowing Turkish troops to deploy from the site. In a statement issued Tuesday night, Netanyahu's office said Israel had repeatedly warned Syria against the deployment, adding that Syria "chose to ignore these warnings" and that Israel "will not tolerate threats to its security" while remaining open to a return to the prior status quo.