Israel strikes an air base in Syria to prevent Turkish troops from deploying

BREAKING: Israel strikes an air base in northwest Syria, saying the aim was to prevent Turkish troops from deploying there.

Israel just bombed a Syrian air base to keep Turkish troops out of it.

The strike hit an air base in northwest Syria overnight, and Israel isn't hiding the reasoning. The stated aim was to stop Turkey from deploying forces there. Not a militia, not a proxy, a NATO member's army.

Think about what that means. Israel and Turkey have been circling each other in Syria for a while, each carving out influence in the vacuum, and until now the competition stayed indirect. Striking a base specifically so Ankara can't move in is a message delivered in ordnance. Erdogan now has to answer a question he'd rather not, does Turkey deploy anyway and dare a second strike, or back off and absorb the loss of face.

Two regional militaries, one runway, and no obvious off-ramp. That's where this sits tonight.

This is Angel Manalo, reporting for HIT.

Source Read the original reporting at npr.org