US condemns 'unnecessary escalation' after Israeli airstrikes on Syrian airbase

The United States has issued a rare rebuke of Israel after reports emerged it struck a Syrian military airbase near the Turkish border, calling the attack an "unnecessary escalation".

Eight airstrikes hit the Abu Duhur airport runway and storage facility on Tuesday, according to Syrian state TV, although there were no reports of injuries.

Israel, while not commenting on the strikes directly, said Syria "was on the verge of breaching" the security status quo, accusing Damascus of allowing Turkish troops to deploy to the airbase.

Syria and Turkey blamed the Israeli military for the attacks that they said threaten to escalate tensions in the region.

Tom Barrack, the US ambassador in Turkey, who was also appointed as Donald Trump's special envoy for Syria and Iraq, criticised the attacks in a statement posted on social media.

"We are deeply concerned that the confirmed Israeli airstrikes on Abu al-Duhur Airbase constitute an unnecessary escalation that does not advance regional stability," Barrack wrote on X.

The office of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu published a statement: "Israel and Syria agreed to a status quo in security matters, which Syria was on the verge of breaching by permitting Turkish troops to deploy at an airbase near Aleppo."

Syria's foreign ministry called the attacks "an unjustified act of aggression" imperilling regional "security and stability".