Turkey deploys advanced radar at Damascus Airport amid tension with Tel Aviv
i24NEWS correspondent Amichai Stein reported Wednesday evening that Turkish forces recently deployed an HTRS-100 air traffic control radar system at Damascus Main Airport. This system is manufactured by the Turkish defense industry specialist Aselsan.
The Turkish Ambassador to Syria, Nuh Yılmaz, noted that the deployment of this system reflects a “significant infrastructure upgrade for the main airport in Damascus.”
The HTRS-100 is considered an advanced air surveillance system, providing “accurate detection and tracking of all aerial targets around airports, integrating the latest technologies to ensure maximum reliability and performance.” Its operational range is between 150 to 200 kilometers, and it possesses the capability to provide “precise detection and tracking of all aerial targets around the airport.”
This deployment comes amidst previous expectations; Western intelligence reports in recent weeks stated, according to the report, that the deployment of Turkish radar systems in Syrian territory could “significantly reduce Israel’s freedom of aerial action in Syrian airspace,” especially since the latter had utilized this freedom over the past year, including for targeting objectives in neighboring countries like Iran.
This step is not the first to raise Israeli concerns regarding a potential Turkish military presence in Syria. The report quoted a source from a year ago stating that Israel attacked a series of Syrian military bases, including airbases, “after the fall of the Assad regime.” The Israeli security source added at the time that the attacks came in response to fears of Turkey establishing permanent bases and deploying its drones, emphasizing that “the possibility of Turkey establishing a military base in Syria poses a ‘potential threat.'”
The source explained in previous statements: “If a Turkish airbase is established, it involves obstructing Israel’s freedom of action in Syria. This is a potential threat we oppose. We attacked the bases to send a message that we will not allow damage to the freedom of aerial action.”
This development occurs in the context of a recent escalation in relations between Ankara and Tel Aviv. In this regard, the Turkish newspaper “Yeni Şafak,” close to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, recently published a headline stating: “Israel is Turkey’s number one enemy.” This headline followed a trilateral meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the leaders of Greece and Cyprus.
In response, Netanyahu said during the meeting, in a clear reference to Erdoğan: “To those who imagine the return of their empires – this will not happen.”
United News Network – UNN Arabic
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