German aircraft had already operated from Syrian airfields in April 1941 in support of a revolt against the British administration in Iraq.

Syrian Campaign - awm.gov.au
The Syrian Campaign is one of the least-known Australian operations of the Second World War. Between 7 June and 11 July 1941, Australian troops, principally from the 7th Division, fought as part of an Allied force in Syria and Lebanon against the Vichy French. Syria and Lebanon had been French protectorates since France was granted a League of Nations mandate over them in 1919, and a pro-German Vichy French administration had assumed control following the fall of France in June 1940.
The aim of the campaign was to occupy Syria and Lebanon to prevent the establishment of a German presence there that could threaten Britain's bases in Palestine and its broader strategic position in the eastern Mediterranean. German aircraft had already operated from Syrian airfields in April 1941 in support of a revolt against the British administration in Iraq.