Eight Israeli airstrikes hit an airbase in northwestern Syria early on Tuesday, Syrian state media said, Reuters reports.

Syria state-run Ekhbariya, citing a military source, said the attack struck the runway and storage facilities at the Abu al-Duhur base, while a separate military source and a civilian who lives near the base said there were no casualties.

The base, about 70 km from the Turkish border, has been out of service as a dedicated military airfield since 2013 and changed hands several times during Syria’s 14-year civil war between forces loyal to former President Bashar al-Assad and opposition factions.

Since Assad was ousted in late 2024, the base has been used as a training centre for Syria’s new army, according to the military source.

The strikes follow a heightening of security tensions between Israel and Turkey and increasingly sharp rhetoric between the two countries over Syria.

Ankara has accused Israel of trying to destabilize Syria and undermine its new administration. Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on August 6 that Israel continued to threaten Syria’s security through its repeated attacks, calling for international pressure on Israel to respect Syria’s territorial integrity.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, for his part, has issued direct warnings to Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, saying Israel would not allow steps that strengthened Syria’s military capabilities in ways that could pose a threat to Israel.

Syria conducted air exercises in the north of the country in early August using Russian-made MiG-21 fighter jets, the first such exercises since Assad’s ouster.

Israel’s Kan public broadcaster reported on August 11 that Israeli security officials had detected signs that Syria was accelerating efforts to rebuild its air force, including the recruitment of new pilots, flight training and a first exercise involving fighter aircraft.

Kan quoted an Israeli security source as saying Israel was closely monitoring the developments and had shared its concerns with the US.