On August 18, Israel launched an airstrike on the Abu al-Duhur military airbase in northwestern Syria, accusing Turkey of attempting to establish a military presence there [1, 2, 3]. Four days later, on August 22, Israel carried out another strike near the village of Beit Jinn southwest of Damascus, wounding a man with a drone strike [1].
Since Bashar al-Assad was overthrown in December 2024, Israel has conducted hundreds of strikes inside Syria and deployed troops into the UN buffer zone in the Golan Heights, escalating its military operations in the region [1].
Malaysia and 11 other countries condemned Israel’s strikes on Syria in a joint statement issued on August 22. The statement called the attacks “an extreme escalation and a flagrant violation of the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political unity of the Syrian Arab Republic” and urged respect for the 1974 Disengagement Agreement as well as the withdrawal of Israeli forces from occupied areas [2, 3].
The countries issuing the statement were Malaysia, Turkey, Algeria, Indonesia, Jordan, Lebanon, Mauritania, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Somalia [2, 3]. The statement also urged the international community to adopt “a firm, clear and principled position” to end ongoing aggression against Syria [3].
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Turkey of trying to militarize the Abu al-Duhur airbase targeted in the August 18 strike; Turkey denied any military presence there and has sought an Interpol red notice for Netanyahu over the accusation [1].
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz criticized comments by US envoy Tom Barrack, who condemned the August 18 strike and described the Golan Heights as "occupied". Katz called Barrack’s remarks “full of inaccuracies and positions that contradict the stance of US President (Donald) Trump himself regarding the Golan Heights” [1]. Barrack had warned Israel’s actions risked provoking conflict with Turkey [1].
Separately on August 22, Malaysia and Brunei issued a joint statement condemning Israeli actions in Palestine, expressing alarm over ongoing violence, humanitarian access restrictions, and disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz caused by Middle East conflicts. They called for an end to impunity and a permanent ceasefire [4].
The diplomatic fallout from Israel’s airstrikes on Syria and ongoing tensions over the Golan Heights are likely to persist in coming weeks amid continued regional unrest and international criticism.
