The United States gave Turkey prior notice of Israel’s plan to launch airstrikes on Iran last week, according to a report by Middle East Eye, which cited two sources familiar with the matter.
The notification, reportedly delivered late Thursday, came just hours before Israel launched its most extensive military campaign against Iranian targets in decades. According to the report Washington’s move was intended in part to prevent potential friction with Ankara, especially given rising tensions between Turkey and Israel over military movements in Syria.
Israeli jets are believed to have used airspace over Syria and Iraq to reach their targets. Iraq’s foreign ministry lodged a formal complaint with the United Nations Security Council on Friday over the unauthorized use of its airspace by Israeli aircraft.
Turkey has not publicly commented on the reported US notification. Requests for comment by Middle East Eye to the Turkish Foreign Ministry and the US State Department went unanswered.
Tensions between Ankara and Tel Aviv have deepened in recent months, especially in northern Syria, where Turkish forces have begun establishing military outposts in coordination with Damascus. According to the report, Turkey seeks to help train Syrian forces and jointly combat remaining cells of the Islamic State group. Ankara is also pursuing access to Syria’s strategic Tiyas (T4) air base in Homs province.
Israeli officials are reportedly concerned that Turkish control of Syrian airspace — and particularly any deployment of Russian-made S-400 missile systems — could compromise Israeli air operations in the region. A Turkish source told Middle East Eye that Ankara is unlikely to station S-400s in Syria due to US objections and will instead use air defense systems suited to countering drones and low-altitude threats.
The government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has systematically dismantled Syria’s aerial defense network since December, leaving the country vulnerable to foreign incursions. Israeli strikes on Iranian targets inside Syria and beyond have intensified amid reports of Iranian weapons convoys and intelligence installations.
Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has stepped up diplomatic efforts in the wake of the Israeli-Iranian exchange. Over the weekend Erdoğan had calls with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump, offering Turkey as a mediator and advocating a return to negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program.
According to the same report, the Turkish Air Force was put on high alert as security officials in Ankara held emergency meetings to assess the risk of escalation and potential spillover from the conflict. One such meeting, held on Friday, included Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defense Minister Yaşar Güler, National Intelligence Organization chief İbrahim Kalın and Chief of General Staff Gen. Metin Gürak.
In a separate call with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, Erdoğan reportedly urged restraint and warned against becoming entangled in the growing conflict between Israel and Iran.