The Media Line: 4 Airstrikes Target Idlib Military Airport Amid Suspicions of Israeli Involvement  

4 Airstrikes Target Idlib Military Airport Amid Suspicions of Israeli Involvement  

By Rizik Alabi / The Media Line  

[DAMASCUS] Abu al-Duhur, a military air base in eastern Idlib province was hit by four airstrikes early Tuesday, August 18, targeting its runway in an attack whose perpetrator remains unknown, although there is speculation that Israel may have been responsible.  

The Media Line’s correspondent reported that the four strikes targeted the runway of the military airport in eastern Idlib, with no initial reports of deaths or injuries. Syrian authorities have not yet released official details regarding the extent of the damage or the nature of the targets that were struck.  

Sources told The Media Line that they believe the strikes may have been Israeli, but they provided no evidence that could confirm the identity of the aircraft involved. Israel has not claimed responsibility for the attack, and no official Syrian statement has yet identified who carried out the strikes.  

Abu al-Duhur is one of the most prominent military airfields in northern Syria and lies approximately 40 kilometers east of Idlib city. The airport saw repeated battles and changes of control during the Syrian war before forces of the former regime recaptured it. It later fell again to opposition forces during the offensive that preceded the collapse of Bashar Assad’s regime in late 2024.  

This is the first publicly reported attack on the airport since the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024. It remains unclear whether the airport has returned to active military use or whether its facilities and runway are undergoing rehabilitation.  

The strikes also come as Israel monitors Syria’s efforts to rebuild its military capabilities following the collapse of the Assad regime. In May, the Israeli Air Force said Syria had gradually begun rebuilding its military capabilities, including radar and air defense systems, while subsequent reports indicated that new groups of Syrian Air Force personnel had completed training.  

Since the fall of the former regime, Israel has carried out strikes against military sites in various parts of Syria, saying on previous occasions that it was targeting military capabilities or threats it considers a danger to its security. The attack on Abu al-Duhur stands out, however, because of the airport’s location in Idlib province in northern Syria, far from the Syrian-Israeli frontier in the south.  

That context, however, does not in itself constitute evidence that Israel was responsible for Tuesday’s strikes.  

Key questions about the attack remain unanswered, including what prompted the targeting of the airport runway and whether new military equipment, forces, or activity had been present at the facility before the strikes.