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Israel Carries Out Air Strike on Syrian Anti-Aircraft Battery Israel Carries Out Air Strike on Syrian Anti-Aircraft Battery
(about 4 hours later)
Israel’s military carried out an air strike on an anti-aircraft battery in Syria on Monday after it fired toward its planes, while vowing it sought no further escalation in the war-torn country. The Israeli air force attacked a Syrian anti-aircraft battery on Monday that Israel said had fired a missile at its planes while they were on a reconnaissance mission over neighboring Lebanon.
Israeli planes were on what the military described as a routine reconnaissance mission over neighbouring Lebanon when an anti-aircraft missile was fired in their direction, a military spokesman said. No Israeli planes were hit, Israeli military spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Jonathan Conricus said. The counter-strike took place two hours later and “incapacitated” the anti-aircraft unit located 50 km (30 miles) east of Damascus, he said.
The planes returned safely, according to the spokesman, adding it was believed the anti-aircraft battery in Syria was destroyed. “We know according to our intelligence it was a battery controlled by the Syrian regime and we hold the Syrian regime responsible for the fire,” Conricus said.
Syria’s military said Israel’s air force breached the country’s air space, causing it to respond with its air defences. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later issued a statement saying Israel would not hesitate to defend itself.
It claimed one of the Israeli planes was hit, “forcing it to flee”. “Today there was an attempt to harm our aircraft — this is unacceptable to us. The air force acted quickly and accurately to destroy what needed to be destroyed,” Netanyahu said.
Israel then “launched several missiles ... on one of our military positions in the Damascus region, causing only material damage,” Syrian state television quoted the military as saying. “Our policy is clear. Whoever tries to harm us, we will strike at him. We will continue to act in the region as is required in order to defend Israel.”
Israeli military spokesman Jonathan Conricus told journalists “we hold the Syrian regime responsible for the anti-aircraft fire and any attack originating from Syria.” ADVERTISING
He said Israel “will maintain its ability to thwart hostile intentions and activities endangering Israeli civilians”. But the Syrian army said it struck an Israeli warplane that had breached its air space at the Syria-Lebanon border.
Syria’s military said it “warns against the dangerous consequences of repeated attempts at aggressive by Israel”. “The Israeli enemy this morning violated our air space... Our air defense mediums confronted it, hit one of its planes directly and forced it to flee,” the Syrian military statement said.
Conricus did not specify how many Israeli planes were involved in the reconnaissance mission, but described them as being “in proximity to the Syrian border”. Over two hours later, Israel launched several missiles that hit a military position in the Damascus countryside and only caused material damage, it said. Syria’s army warned Israel against the “grave consequences of repeated aggressive attempts”.
The battery targeted was located some 50 kilometres (31 miles) east of Damascus, he said. Syria and Israel, while old enemies, have rarely traded blows directly since a 1974 ceasefire ended their last conventional war.
It was believed to be the first time since Syria’s civil war began that Israeli planes were fired toward while in Lebanese airspace, said Conricus. Monday’s incident was additionally unusual given its publication by Israel, which rarely gives details on its air force activities over Lebanon and Syria to foil suspected arms transfers to Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters.
However, Israel’s military said it had no interest in any further escalation. Such missions in Syria have increased dramatically during the country’s six-and-a-half-year-old civil war, Israeli officials say. All efforts, they say, are made to avoid accidental clashes with Russian forces helping Damascus beat back insurgents.
“Israel has no intention to destabilise the situation,” said Conricus. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu began a visit to Israel later on Monday but did not mention the air strike during public remarks at the start of a meeting in Tel Aviv with his Israeli counterpart, Avigdor Lieberman.
- Russian visit - “I would like to talk about the things related to Syria. The operation there is close to the end. There are several problems which require urgent solution and the prospects of further development of the situation in Syria require discussion,” Shoigu said.
Israel has sought to avoid becoming more directly involved in the six-year civil war in neighbouring Syria, though it acknowledges carrying out dozens of air strikes to stop what it calls advanced arms deliveries to Hezbollah. Conricus said the Israeli military had informed Russia of its Syria strike “in real time or immediately before” it took place, and would brief Shoigu.
The Lebanese Shiite group is backing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime in the conflict. Israel and Hezbollah fought a devastating war in 2006. The Lebanese army says Israeli aircraft regularly violate Lebanon’s air space.
In March, Israeli warplanes struck several targets in Syria, drawing retaliatory missile fire in the most serious incident between the two countries since the start of the Syrian war. Conricus said a Syrian attack on Israeli air force planes over Lebanon was unprecedented. Syrian anti-aircraft missiles were launched at Israeli warplanes over Syria in March. They were unscathed but one of the missiles, on its descent, was intercepted by Israel’s Arrow air defense system.
At the time, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the air strikes targeted weapons bound for Hezbollah and that Israel would do the same again if necessary. According to Conricus, the Syrian battery struck on Monday had carried out the launch against the Israeli planes in March.
Syria’s military had said it launched anti-aircraft missiles at the aircraft, claiming it had downed an Israeli plane and hit another as they carried out pre-dawn strikes near the desert city of Palmyra.
Israel denied any of its aircraft was hit.
During the sortie, Israel fired its Arrow interceptor to take out what was believed to have been a Russian-made SA 5 missile.
In the aftermath, Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman threatened to destroy Syrian air defence systems “without the slightest hesitation” if they fired on Israeli planes in future.
Monday’s strike comes with Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu due to visit Israel later in the day. Russia is also backing Assad in the Syrian conflict.
Russia and Israel have established a hotline to avoid accidental clashes in Syria.
“The Russians were notified in real time,” Conricus said of the strike.
Shoigu and Lieberman were expected to discuss Syria and Iran’s presence there.
Iran, Israel’s main enemy, backs Assad in the war along with Russia and Israel is concerned Tehran will establish a permanent military presence along its border.