Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the Israeli military had recommended “several times” striking Syria’s Abu Duhur military airport due to Turkiye’s alleged plans to deploy forces there, and that the political echelon directly warned the Syrian government to prevent the move before authorizing a strike.

Axar.az reports, citing The Times of Israel, that the Israeli Air Force struck the airbase overnight Monday.

The military remained silent on the attack, but it was later confirmed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“The IDF recommended several times carrying out the strike on the Abu Duhur airport in Syria in light of the clear intelligence received regarding Turkiye’s intentions to carry out activities there that would endanger the security of the State of Israel,” Katz said in a statement.

Katz added that after several discussions held with Netanyahu and the military, “it was agreed that before granting approval [for the strike], a direct warning would be issued to the Syrian regime at the highest levels in an attempt to prevent the move, and that is what was done.”

“At the same time, the intelligence was conveyed to the relevant authorities in the United States,” the defense minister said.

After Israel’s warning “went unanswered,” Katz said he and Netanyahu “authorized the IDF to carry out the strike, and it was successfully carried out.”

It should be noted that Israeli Air Force jets carried out eight strikes on the runway of the Abu al-Duhur military airbase in eastern Syria’s Idlib province on August 18.