Pakistan on Wednesday strongly condemned what it described as an “unprovoked” Israeli attack on an air base in Syria, warning that such actions could further damage regional peace and stability.
The Foreign Office (FO) said the Israeli strike was a serious violation of international law and expressed Pakistan’s support for Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
“Such provocative actions constitute a flagrant violation of international law and have the potential to further undermine regional peace and stability,” the FO said.
“Pakistan expresses its unwavering solidarity with the brotherly people of Syria, and reiterates its full support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity as well as peace and prosperity of the Syrian Arab Republic,” it added.
The FO also urged the international community to take action against repeated violations of international law by Israeli forces and hold those responsible accountable for destabilising the region.
Syrian state-run Ekhbariya television reported on Tuesday, citing a military source, that Israel had carried out eight airstrikes targeting the runway and storage facilities at Abu al-Duhur air base near Aleppo in northwestern Syria. A separate military source and a local resident said there were no casualties.
US envoy for Syria Tom Barrack confirmed that Israel had conducted the strikes on the base in Idlib province. He described the attacks as “an unnecessary escalation that does not advance regional stability” and called on all sides to favour dialogue over further military confrontations.
The strikes also exposed tensions between Israel and the United States, which has been supporting Syria’s new government and its ties with Turkiye.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Israel and Syria had agreed on a security status quo that Damascus was allegedly close to violating by allowing Turkish troops to deploy at an air base near Aleppo.
“Israel repeatedly warned Syria that such a deployment would pose a threat to Israel’s security. Syria chose to ignore these warnings,” the statement said, without directly acknowledging responsibility for the strikes.
Syrian Foreign Minister Assad al-Shibani urged Israel to halt its attacks, saying the strikes lacked security justification and warning that Israel was confronting not only Damascus but also Syria’s allies.
“These attacks don’t have security justifications … We will continue in our diplomatic path to dissuade Israel from this policy and to force it to stop its attacks on Syria,” he said.
Turkiye also rejected Israel’s justification for the strikes, saying the Israeli government was attempting to legitimise attacks that violated Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
“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,” the Turkish government said.
Abu al-Duhur air base, located around 70 kilometres east of the Turkish border, has not operated as a dedicated military airfield since 2013. The facility changed hands several times during Syria’s 14-year civil war.
Israel has repeatedly carried out strikes against Syrian targets since former president Bashar al-Assad was ousted in 2024, primarily targeting government sites in southern and central parts of the country.
