An Israeli airstrike on the Abu al-Duhur airfield in Syria’s Idlib province came close to triggering a direct military confrontation with Turkey because Turkish forces did not know where the approaching aircraft were headed, US Ambassador to Turkey and President Donald Trump’s special envoy for Syria and Iraq Thomas Barrack told The Jerusalem Post.

The airbase, located about 70 kilometers from the Turkish border, was attacked on Tuesday, August 18. The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later issued a statement that effectively acknowledged Israel’s responsibility for the strike.

Israel maintained that Syria’s actions could allegedly alter the existing status quo. The stated reason was permission for Turkish troops to be deployed at Abu al-Duhur.

According to Barrack, Turkish forces had no information about the Israeli aircraft’s destination or the operation they were preparing to carry out. Under those circumstances, Ankara could have concluded that its own troops were under threat and scrambled Turkish fighter jets.

Such a response could have rapidly escalated into a direct military confrontation involving Israel, Turkey and Syria, the US envoy said.

No casualties were reported from the attack, and further escalation was ultimately avoided.

Barrack had previously said Washington was working on a mechanism intended to reduce the risk of military clashes between Israel, Turkey and Syria.