Israel strikes back in Syria
‘Large-scale attack’ conducted in war-plagued neighbour after jet falls under anti-aircraft fire
Israel carried out extensive airstrikes inside Syria, targeting what the Israeli military said were air defence batteries and army bases as well as Iranian positions, in a day of dramatic cross-border confrontations as the threat of a wider regional conflict looms.
The Israeli military said it launched the “large scale attack” after one of its F-16 fighter jets crashed under Syrian antiaircraft fire. Eight Israeli jets had been responding to an incursion by an Iranian drone launched from Syrian territory by bombing a Syrian air base, Israel said. Seeking to contain Iran and its proxies, Israel has regularly carried out airstrikes inside Syria, though not on this scale.
If a direct hit on the Israeli aircraft is confirmed, it would be the first time an Israeli jet has been brought down by enemy fire since 1982. The strikes that followed were Israel’s most significant bombardment inside Syria since the beginning of the nearly seven-year civil war — hitting 12 military sites in the country — eight Syrian and four that Israel said were Iranian.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli military officials described the initial incursion as an Iranian “attack” and said it was Israel’s right and duty to respond. The Israeli Army said the Iranian drone did not cross into Israel by accident and was on a “mission” but declined to say whether the drone was armed.
Israel has looked on with alarm as its arch-enemy Iran has extended its military reach and political influence in the region during conflicts in Iraq and Syria. With its Lebanese proxy Hizbollah, Iran has provided military support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, projecting an expanded presence close to Israel’s northern border. The US said Secretary of State Rex Tillerson reaffirmed in a phone call with Netanyahu that “Israel has the right to defend itself”.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahran Qasemi disputed the Israeli account, describing the claim that an Iranian drone had crossed the border as “ridiculous”. He said the Syrian Government had the right to defend itself by shooting down the Israeli jet. The Syrian state news agency described the airstrikes in Syrian territory as a “new Israeli aggression”. A military alliance backing Assad said that any other incursion by Israel would be met with “serious and fierce” retaliation.
The Israeli strikes also riled Russia, which has forces deployed in Syria as part of Moscow’s effort to defend Assad’s Government against a wide range of rebel groups. But Russia is seen by Israel as a key to de-escalating the heightening crisis by influencing Iran to contain its presence. Moscow said the Israeli airstrikes on Syrian bases potentially imperiled Russian military advisers stationed there. Netanyahu said he had spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin to reiterate “our right and obligation to defend ourselves”. He said the two leaders agreed their military cooperation would continue.
The surge in violence across the Israel-Syria border is the latest front in a multisided Syrian war that in recent days has seen heightened military operations in several places in the north and east of the country as well as close to the capital, Damascus. Russia, Iran, Turkey and the US, as well as their local allies, are all engaged on the battlefield.
The Israelis have been particularly worried about what they say is a buildup of Hizbollah forces from the Syrian city of Palmyra to the country’s southwest corner bordering the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The US and Russia agreed last year to establish a cease-fire between Syrian government forces and rebel fighters near the southwestern Syrian town of Daraa. That agreement has mostly held. Outside that small area, Hizbollah has continued to increase strength, Israel says. And Israel has carried out airstrikes against what it has described as Hizbollah convoys and operations.
But the possible downing of the Israeli jet — and images of its burned remains — is a public relations boost for Assad. The Syrian Government had been complaining that regular Israeli incursions were an affront to its sovereignty. The Israeli military said it was investigating whether its jet was hit directly. Syria asserted that it was.
The conflagration began when an Iranian drone crossed into Israeli territory from Syria, the Israeli military said. It was shot down by an Israeli attack helicopter. The pro-Syrian military alliance described the Israeli claim that an Iranian drone had entered its airspace as a “lie and fabrication”. But the IDF said that Israel was in possession of the remains of the drone and that officials were certain it was Iranian.
Israel dispatched eight fighter jets to bomb the T4 military base near Palmyra. Syria responded with “substantial . . . anti-aircraft fire” and two Israeli pilots ejected from their F-16, which crashed inside Israel. One of the pilots was severely injured, the Israeli military said.