Western Intelligence Source to Israeli Media: Turkey Aims to Activate the Syrian T4 Air Base

The Turkish-Syrian connection has been tightening recently, including in the military field. A Western intelligence source told an Israeli news agency that Turkey wants to become Syria's air defense provider, in part by establishing a presence at the T4 base, which was active during Assad's regime.

The T4 base has been the target of several Israeli airstrikes in Syria in recent weeks. On Monday, March 31, an Israeli defense official told reporters that the purpose of these strikes was to signal to Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa that Israel would not allow any reduction in its freedom of action in Syrian airspace.

According to the Western intelligence source, Turkey intends to convert the T4 base into a drone facility. On Tuesday, a UK-based website reported that a Hisar air defense system will be deployed at the T4 base to provide air coverage for the facility. 

A source familiar with the details, who spoke with the site, said, "Once the system is in place, the base will be renovated and expanded with the necessary facilities." The source added that the base will help Turkey establish air dominance in the region and support its efforts to fight ISIS, which is still active in Syria.

On Monday, during a briefing with reporters, a security official expressed concern about the possibility of the Syrian government allowing Turkey to establish military bases within its territory. "If a Turkish air base is established, it would harm Israel's freedom of action in Syria," the official said. "This is a potential threat that we oppose." (JPost/VFI News)