The head of Israel's Mossad spy agency, Roman Gofman, held a phone call with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani last week in which they discussed Turkey's military presence in Syria, three people familiar with the matter said.
The call, which the sources said took place on August 14, came days before Israel launched airstrikes on a Syrian military airbase in the north of the country on Tuesday.
It marks one of the highest-level contacts yet between Israel and the new Syrian government since the fall of former dictator Bashar al-Assad in December 2014.
The Israeli prime minister's office, which handles queries regarding Mossad, did not immediately respond to a request for comment, nor did a spokesperson for Shaibani.
Netanyahu says Syria on verge of breaking 'status quo,' leading to strikes
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the IDF struck the Syrian military base on Tuesday following several warnings to Damascus about Turkey's military presence.
"We will not tolerate a Turkish military foothold in Syria that threatens Israel," Netanyahu said in a post on X/Twitter on Wednesday.
"We made the message crystal clear: Don’t. Apparently, they didn’t hear it clearly enough, so we made sure they understood it better," he added.
On Tuesday, the IDF struck Abu al-Duhur military airfield in Syria, which the Prime Minister's Office said was in response to Syria allowing Turkish troops on the ground. In a statement on X the PMO said "Israel and Syria agreed to a status quo in security matters, which Syria was on the verge of breaching by permitting Turkish troops to deploy at an airbase near Aleppo."
"Israel repeatedly warned Syria that such a deployment would pose a threat to Israel's security. Syria chose to ignore these warnings," the PMO added.
"Israel will not tolerate threats to its security, and would welcome a return to the status quo."
Turkey slams Israel's 'untenable' claims
Syria's Foreign Ministry responded to the strikes in a statement on Tuesday.
The statement said that the country "condemns in the strongest terms the Israeli airstrikes targeting Abu al-Duhur Military Airbase in Idlib Governorate, and considers them an unjustified act of aggression, a flagrant violation of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and a dangerous escalation that threatens security and stability in the region."
The strikes demonstrate Israel’s “attempts to undermine these efforts and drag the region toward further tension and instability,” it added.
Turkey's presidency also responded to the strikes and the statement from the PMO, saying, "The untenable allegations put forward by the Israeli Prime Minister's Office are intended to legitimize Israel’s unlawful airstrikes targeting Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity."
"The imputations voiced stem from Netanyahu’s intent to pursue expansionist and destabilizing policies in the region ahead of the elections in Israel," it added.
"Turkey will resolutely continue to cooperate with the Syrian Government on a legitimate basis for the establishment of peace, stability, and prosperity in Syria, and will never allow the destabilization of Syria."
US Special Envoy for Syria condemns strikes
US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy to Syria and Iraq Tom Barack echoed the Syrian statement, saying in a post on X that the US is "deeply concerned" by the airstrikes.
He added that the strikes “constitute an unnecessary escalation that does not advance regional stability,” and that Syrian President Ahmed al-Shaara’s government has “neither adopted a predatory posture nor maintained proxy forces. It has, in fact, repeatedly indicated a preference for de-escalation with Israel.”
Enduring de-escalation agreements are built through sustained dialogues with all concerned nations and principals.”
“The United States continues to believe that restraint and engagement offer the more constructive course. We encourage all parties to prioritize logical discourse over further military incidents,” he wrote.
IDF chief says that Israel will maintain Syria buffer zone
IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir warned during a visit to southern Syria on Wednesday that Israel would not allow hostile forces to establish themselves along its borders and would use its military power wherever and whenever necessary.
During the visit, Zamir held an operational situational assessment and toured southern Syria. As part of the tour, he spoke with reserve soldiers operating in the area and expressed his appreciation for their service and operational activity in the sector.
"We are operating in a multi-front reality in which the challenges are constantly changing and developing, and the Syrian arena is one of them," Zamir said.
"We see what is happening and are monitoring the changes on the Syrian front, and we must prepare accordingly. We will not allow hostile forces to establish themselves on our borders, and we will know how to use our power precisely where and when it is needed.
Avi Ashkenazi and Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.