A Syrian fighter jet entered Israeli airspace on Tuesday and was shot down by the IAF. The incident appears to be another spillover from the Syrian civil war.
Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon.(Photo: Flash90)
An Israeli Air Force (IAF) Patriot battery shot down a Syrian Sukhoi-24 fighter jet after it entered Israeli airspace over the Golan Heights on Tuesday morning.
The plane wreckage landed in the Quneitra area, beyond the border fence.
This is the first time in 28 years that an enemy fighter jet has been shot down by the IDF.
The IDF’s assumption is that the Syrian pilot was on his way to an attack inside Syria, as part of the civil war being waged there.
The IDF stresses that protocol was followed when shooting down the aircraft and that the air-defense systems operated impeccably.
Recurring Security Breaches
As the Syrian civil war continues to spill over into Israel in the north, Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon warns that Israel will not tolerate violations of its sovereignty.
“The Plane crossed the border line,” he stated. “We have clarified this point in the past and I am reiterating again: we will not allow any entity, be it a country or a terrorist organization, to threaten our security and violate our sovereignty.We will respond with force to any such attempt, be it intentional or unintentional. We are obligated, first and foremost, to safeguard the citizens of Israel, and we will use all the options at our disposal to do so.”
There have been several incidents regarding the Syrian civil war spilling into Israel.
At the end of August, a Syrian military drone entered Israeli air space and was shot down by a Patriot battery.
An IDF soldier was wounded in another incident by Syrian fire.
In some of the incidents the IDF responded with artillery fire and even airstrikes on Syrian military targets.
Author: Aryeh Savir
Staff Writer, United with Israel