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Israel Strikes 3 Airbases in Syria Where Turkey Intended to Deploy Forces
(Reuters) Israeli airstrikes hit three air bases in Syria where Turkey sought to deploy its forces as part of a planned joint defense pact with the new Syrian government. Turkish military teams in recent weeks visited the T4 and Palmyra air bases in Syria's Homs province and the main airport in Hama province. Another planned visit to T4 and Palmyra on March 25 was cancelled after Israel struck both bases just hours beforehand. Strikes at T4 "destroyed the runway, tower, hangars and the planes that were grounded. It was a tough message that Israel won't accept the expanded Turkish presence," said a regional intelligence official who reviewed photographs of the damage. "T4 is totally unusable now," said a Syrian source who is close to Turkey. Syria's foreign ministry said Israeli strikes resulted in the near-total destruction of the Hama base. Noa Lazimi, a researcher at the Misgav Institute for National Security, said Israel was concerned that Turkey could establish Russian anti-aircraft systems and drones at T4. "The base would enable Turkey to establish air superiority in this area, and this poses a serious concern for Israel because it undermines its operational freedom in the region."