“United States policy on the Golan was set by President Trump in 2019 and is unchanged. I was describing the difficulty of the problem, not proposing a new table.
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TB
Tom Barrack
Republican
U.S. Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy for Syria
Real estate investor and longtime Trump associate; confirmed as U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Turkey in 2025 and additionally serving as the President’s Special Envoy for Syria.
Statements (6)
“We all did our due diligence. We went back to our respective intelligence agencies. The answer we got is, no, that’s not happening. One theory is they were just baiting Turkey, and it’s a very aggressive, but maybe well-received, pre-election concept. The other theory is that between the IDF, the Mossad and the Prime Minister’s Office there was a miscommunication.
“It’s important to the Trump administration because President Trump has engaged in a new kind of Middle East regional program. Lower the temperature, increase the dialogue, increase the discourse, and avoid these abrupt kinetic action. There was no, what we can see, malintent or aggressive action by Syria or Turkey. This was a bit of a setback, but I think it’s a temporary setback.
“Saying that, in the Golan with Syria, they still occupy the Golan against the UN resolutions, against all of the international order, which has said the Golan is Syria’s.
“Turkish forces were not aware that the Israeli aircraft were en route to that specific Syrian base, nor of their intended purpose, and therefore could potentially have been inclined to scramble their own jets in the belief that they themselves were under attack. The events of yesterday were serious and worrisome. However, we are relieved that no human life was harmed and that the situation did not escalate.
“We are deeply concerned that the confirmed Israeli airstrikes on Abu al-Duhur constitute an unnecessary escalation that does not advance regional stability.