Mossad chief spoke to Syria foreign minister before Israeli strikes on Syria

The Head of Israel's Mossad spy agency, Roman Gofman, had a phone call with Syria's Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani on August 14, 2026, to discuss Turkey's military buildup in Syria days before Israel launched targeted airstrikes, Reuters reported. This is the highest-level contact yet between Israel and the new Syrian ​government since the fall of the former dictator Bashar al-Assad in December ​2014.

Early Tuesday, an Israeli aircraft carried out eight airstrikes targeting the runway of Abu al-Duhur Military Airbase in the eastern countryside of Idlib in northern Syria. The strikes caused material damage to the structures at the airbase, but did not result in any casualties.

The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office noted that Syria was on the verge of breaching a mutual security status quo by allowing Turkish troops to deploy at the northern base. Netanyahu stated on a podcast that Israel will not tolerate a Turkish military buildup "that descends south because it threatens us"

Also Read: Yemen warns Houthis seek foothold near Bab el-Mandeb Strait

Turkey on Wednesday strongly denied these allegations that it posed a threat by preparing to send troops to a base in Syria. "The frivolous allegations put forward by the Israeli Prime Minister's office aim to legitimise Israel's unlawful airstrikes targeting Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity," it said. US envoy Tom Barrack called Israel’s strikes on Syria an “unnecessary escalation” and called for de-escalation between Israel and Syria.

Turkey is a NATO ally of the United States. But Israel has tense relations with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has vociferously denounced Israel and maintains a total embargo on Israel. But it serves as the vital transit hub for the Azerbaijani oil that fuels Israel’s economy and military. It also collects a lucrative transit fee for every barrel of oil that passes through the Ceyhan terminal.