Signal US working on 'deconfliction mechanism' between Turkey, Syria and Israel, says Barrack

Summary

Israel carried out eight airstrikes on Syria's Abu al-Duhur airbase in Idlib, roughly 70 kilometers from the Turkish border, a strike US envoy Tom Barrack called an unnecessary escalation. Turkey received no advance warning and detected the Israeli aircraft heading north, a situation that could have triggered its own military response. Israel's government said Syria was on the verge of breaching a security understanding by letting Turkish forces deploy at the base, a claim Turkey denied making any such plan. Barrack said the episode brought Turkey and Israel dangerously close to direct military confrontation and that Washington is now pursuing a deconfliction mechanism spanning Israel, Syria and Turkey. He said a standing fusion cell staffed around the clock by Hebrew, Arabic, English and Turkish speakers is under consideration, arguing such investment is far cheaper than relying on costly kinetic means of communication.