Mossad chief, Syrian foreign minister discussed Turkish military – AI Mode Mossad Chief Roman Gofman held a phone call with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani on August 14, 2026, to discuss Israel’s concerns over Turkey’s expanding military presence in Syria, marking one of the highest-level contacts between the two nations since the fall of the Assad regime. [1, 2] Four days after the diplomatic call, Israeli warplanes launched airstrikes targeting the Abu al-Duhur military airbase in northwestern Syria. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed the motivation behind the strike, stating that Israel will not tolerate a Turkish military entrenchment that threatens its securit

Mossad chief, Syrian foreign minister discussed Turkish military – AI Mode

Mossad Chief Roman Gofman held a phone call with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani on August 14, 2026, to discuss Israel’s concerns over Turkey’s expanding military presence in Syria, marking one of the highest-level contacts between the two nations since the fall of the Assad regime. [1, 2]
Four days after the diplomatic call, Israeli warplanes launched airstrikes targeting the Abu al-Duhur military airbase in northwestern Syria. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed the motivation behind the strike, stating that Israel will not tolerate a Turkish military entrenchment that threatens its security, claiming Damascus was on the verge of allowing Turkish troops to deploy at the facility. [1, 3, 4]
Core Details of the Discussion
According to exclusive reports from Reuters and other regional outlets, the conversation focused primarily on Ankara’s activities: [5, 6]

Military Expansion: Israel raised sharp inquiries regarding Turkey’s increasing troop deployments within northern Syria. [1, 3]
Weapons & Technology: Mossad chief Gofman questioned Syria’s procurement of Turkish weapons, drone deliveries, and technical military provisions. [3, 7]
Strategic Training: The talks preceded warnings that Turkey is positioning itself to heavily train, advise, and integrate with the new Damascus administration led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa. [4, 7]

Geopolitical Reactions

Syria: Foreign Minister al-Shaibani denied that a massive Turkish military buildup was underway at the base, stating that Turkish officers were only visiting the empty facility for routine training and cooperation. Syria remains open to U.S.-mediated de-escalation talks but condemned the strikes as a violation of sovereignty. [8]
Turkey: The Turkish presidency strongly rejected Israel’s allegations, calling them “untenable” pretexts used to legitimize unlawful airstrikes. Turkey affirmed it would continue legally cooperating with the Syrian government to maintain regional peace. [3]
United States: U.S. Envoy to Syria and Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack criticized the Israeli air assault as an “unnecessary escalation”. The U.S. announced it is actively working to establish a formal deconfliction mechanism involving Israel, Syria, and Turkey to prevent accidental military confrontations. [4, 6]

[1]  themedialine.org
[2]  jpost.com
[3]  newarab.com
[4]  ynetnews.com
[5]  reuters.com
[6]  instagram.com
[7]  middleeasteye.net
[8]  japantimes.co.jp

— Michael Novakhov (@mikenov) Aug 20, 2026