Syria's Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani shakes hands with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan at a press conference in Damascus, Syria, Sept. 13, 2026. (Credit: Khalil Ashawi/Reuters)
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan accused Israel on Sunday of trying to destabilize Syria through its repeated strikes on the country.
He spoke while on a visit to Damascus, where his Syrian counterpart Asaad al-Shaibani said his country remained committed to diplomacy as it knew the consequences of war.
Israel bombed the outskirts of the city of Beit Jinn in the western countryside of Damascus this Sunday. And last month, Israel bombed the disused Abu Duhur airbase in Syria's northwest, claiming it wanted to avert Turkish troops deploying to the facility. Ankara denied any visit to the site.
"Just as Syria offers so much hope to the region and the world, there is suddenly an actor striving to destabilize the country," Fidan said at a joint news conference.
"You know the name of that actor: Israel," he added.
Fidan said "the policies Israel pursues constitute the most serious obstacle to this positive trajectory. The attack carried out against the Abu Duhur military airbase is one of the latest examples."
Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria since the December 2024 ousting of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad.
He was toppled by Islamist forces led by former jihadist and now President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who relies on support from Turkey.
Israel has sent troops into a U.N.-patrolled buffer zone that had long separated Israeli and Syrian forces on the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights. It's forces now occupy the buffer zone in violation of the agreement.
It also carries out regular incursions deeper into Syrian territory, with Israeli officials saying they intend to keep troops in the country.
Israel and Syria have held several rounds of direct talks, most recently last month in Jordan after the Abu Duhur attack.
Shaibani said the attack "conveyed a destructive message aimed at undermining the path of building the Syrian state."
The attack "has no legitimate or legal justification," Shaibani added, emphasising that it "does not affect Syrian-Turkish relations."
Shaibani said Damascus's position on Israel's escalation was "firm and unwavering" and insisted on the need for Israel to withdraw from areas it invaded after Assad's fall.
Turkey is a strong backer of Syria's authorities.
Fidan said that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was expected to visit Syria soon, without specifying a date.
