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Aug 20 (Reuters) – Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said he made clear to Israel there were no plans to establish a Turkish military base at Abu al-Duhur airbase, which Israel struck on Tuesday, saying the site was being rehabilitated for use by the Syrian Air Force.
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Al-Shaibani said Turkish military officers had visited the base as part of training and broader military cooperation. He denied any Turkish military build-up, saying the facility was largely empty and not yet operational.
“There was no intention to establish a Turkish base there, nor to establish a permanent Turkish military presence or deploy Turkish forces at the site,” Al-Shaibani said in an interview with Axios on Wednesday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that Israel warned Syria ahead of the strike not to allow a Turkish presence at the base.
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“Our message was very clear. Don’t. I guess they didn’t quite understand the message,” Netanyahu added.
Al-Shaibani said Israel had no legitimate justification for the bombing.
Syria remained open to negotiations with Israel on de-escalation, he said. The two sides had made significant progress toward a security agreement during a year of U.S.-mediated talks, but Israel later backed away from commitments and the agreement was not implemented, he added.
Al-Shaibani said any future deal must address the security concerns of both sides and respect Syrian sovereignty, warning that continued Israeli military operations would increase regional instability.
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(Reporting by Ahmed Tolba in Cairo; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)
Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect.