Netanyahu finally "went off the rails" — Ehud Barak

Netanyahu finally "went off the rails." This statement was made by former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, Anadolu Ainasi reports.

Barak sharply criticized the current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu because of the escalation of tensions with Turkey.

He called Netanyahu's actions "reckless and stupid," in which "there is a strong political motive — to go to the polls with a series of security problems that will fuel anxiety in society."

Barak stressed that "Turkey is not Iran and not Assad's Syria," noting that there are no unsolvable problems that cannot be solved through confidential contacts in coordination with the United States.

Barak bluntly stated that Netanyahu had "completely gone off the rails" and was concerned about the political survival, not the security of Israel. According to him, this behavior worries allies and can cause long-term diplomatic damage.

As previously reported, on August 18, 2026, Israeli aircraft attacked the Abu al-Duhur military airfield located in Idlib province in northwestern Syria. The airstrips and warehouses of the base were attacked.

The Israeli Government confirmed the strike. A statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said the attack was launched because Syria was "close to violating the status quo," allowing the possibility of deploying Turkish military at this base, which Israel considers a threat to its security. Israel has said it will not tolerate such threats.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asad al-Sheibani rejected Israel's accusations, saying that the base was intended exclusively for the use of the Syrian Air Force, and the Turkish military visited it only as part of training and cooperation. He stressed that Syria had no intention of creating a permanent Turkish military base, and called the Israeli attack "without legitimate grounds" and "unjustified provocation."

The Turkish Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the airstrikes, calling them a violation of Syria's territorial integrity and calling on the international community to take a firm stand.

US Special Representative for Syria and Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack expressed "deep concern", calling the attack an "unnecessary escalation" that does not contribute to stability in the region.