Israel hits back as Syria downs its jet
beirut — Israel launched heavy air strikes in Syria on Saturday, saying it hit air defences and Iranian targets, and the Syrian army claimed to have brought down an Israeli F-16 that crashed in northern Israel in a major escalation of tension.
The Israeli military said early assessments indicated the jet had been shot down by Syrian fire, but this was still unconfirmed.
It marked the most serious confrontation yet in Syria between Israel and Iranian and Iran-backed forces that have established a major foothold in the country while fighting in support of President Bashar Al Assad in the civil war.
Israel said the F-16 crashed during a mission to strike Iranian drone installations in Syria. It said it sent its jets into Syria after shooting down an Iranian drone over Israeli territory earlier on Saturday.
The military alliance fighting in support of Assad denied any of its drones had entered Israeli air space. In a statement, it said Israel had targeted an air base in the Homs desert that is being used to fly drones in missions against Daesh.
Such “terrorist action” by Israel would be met with a “severe and serious response,” it said.
The Israeli military spokesman said Israel did not seek escalation in the region, calling its action a “defensive effort triggered by an Iranian act of aggression”.
Iran’s expanding clout during Syria’s nearly seven-year-long war, including deployments of Iranbacked forces near the Golan frontier, has raised alarm in Israel, which has said it would act against any threat from its regional archenemy Tehran.
Iranian and Iran-backed forces, including Lebanon’s Hezbollah, have deployed widely in support of Assad. Iran’s military chief warned Israel last October against breaching Syrian airspace and territory.
Israel’s air force has targeted Syrian military and Hezbollah targets in Syria on an almost regular basis, but its attacks on Saturday appeared to be the most intense yet.
Referring to the downed Israeli F-16, an official in the pro-Assad alliance said a “message” had been delivered to Israel. “I do not believe matters will develop to a regional war,” the official said.
In Washington, President Donald Trump’s administration has backed Israel’s hawkish stance on Iran, and declared containing Tehran’s influence an objective of its Syria policy. On a visit to Israel last month, US Vice President Mike Pence called Iran the world’s “leading state sponsor of terror.”
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is also expected to visit the region in the coming week to discuss the crisis in Syria and other issues, and is scheduled to visit Jordan, Turkey, Lebanon and other coun- tries. Hezbollah and Israel last fought a major conflict in 2006.
Tensions have also spiked across the frontier between Israel and Lebanon over Israeli plans for border wall, and Lebanese plans to exploit an offshore energy block which is partly located in disputed waters.
The Israeli military said 12 targets, including three aerial defense batteries and four Iranian targets that are part of Iran’s military establishment
The Israeli enemy has resumed aggression on some military positions in the southern region and our air defenses have responded to them and thwarted the aggression. Syrian military
in Syria were attacked.
“During the attack, anti-aircraft missiles were fired towards Israel, triggering alarms that were heard in Northern Israel,” the military said.
Syrian state media reported two separate Israeli attacks.
In the first one, a military source said Syrian air defences had opened fire in response to an Israeli act of “aggression” against a
a ‘substantial’ number of Israeli warplanes on the mission had come under ‘massive Syrian anti-air fire, and only one Israeli jet was harmed. Jonathan Conricus, Israeli military spokesman
military base, hitting “more than one plane”.
Later, state media said air defences were responding to a new Israeli assault and air defences had thwarted attacks on military positions in southern Syria.
Israel said one of its attack helicopters shot down an Iranian drone at around 4.30am (0230 GMT) that had come from Syria into Israel. “In response, the IDF (Israel Defence Forces) targeted
reports of downing an Iranian drone flying over Israel and Iran’s involvement in attacking an Israeli jet are so ridiculous... Bahram Qasemi, Iran Foreign ministry spokesnman
Iranian targets in Syria,” the military said.
Israeli military spokesman Jonathan Conricus said a “substantial” number of Israeli warplanes on the mission had come under “massive Syrian anti-air fire”, and only one Israeli jet was harmed.
The F-16 came down in a field near the northern Israeli village of Harduf, television footage showed, and one of the pilots was injured as they ejected . —
We urge all sides to exercise restraint and to avoid any actions that could lead to an even greater complication of the situation A spokesperson, of Russian Foreign Ministry