Israeli Jets Bomb Syrian Anti-Aircraft Battery After Spy Planes Fired at Near Lebanon Border
- Israeli Jets Bomb Syrian Anti-Aircraft Battery After Spy Planes Fired at Near Lebanon Border
by https://www.rt.com/
Israeli jets bombed a Syrian anti-aircraft battery east of Damascus after it fired an anti-aircraft missile at the Israeli aircraft on a spy mission overflying Lebanon, the IDF said. Damascus said the planes violated Syrian airspace near the Lebanese border.
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The battery was reportedly located 50 kilometers (30 miles) east of Damascus, Reuters reported citing Israeli military. The spy planes, which the Israeli military said were on a “reconnaissance mission,” were not hit.
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“Earlier today, an anti-aircraft missile was launched from Syria towards IDF aircraft during a routine flight over Lebanon. No hits confirmed,” the Israeli Defense Force spokesperson tweeted.
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The Israeli military reportedly hit the Syrian battery with four bombs, leaving it no longer operational. Israel immediately reported the incident to Russia, accusing the government in Damascus of a “clear provocation,” according to Haaretz, citing the military.
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Airspace violation
Damascus has reacted to the attack by saying the Israeli jets violated Syrian airspace near the Lebanese border. It also claimed one of the trespassing jets was hit. “The aircraft of Israel’s Air Force violated [Syria’s] airspace near the border with Lebanon in the Baalbek area at 08:51 a.m. local time (05:51 GMT)… One of the planes was hit, which forced the aircraft to leave,” a statement by the Syrian military said, as quoted by Sputnik news agency.
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Last month, Lebanon filed a complaint to the UN against Israel for “planting spy devices on Lebanese land and continuously breaching” its airspace, contending that the actions “constitute a blatant violation of the Lebanese sovereignty.”
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Early September, Israel launched missiles at the Syrian army position in Hama province from Lebanese airspace. The army refused to comment on the incident. The Israeli military has repeatedly targeted arms convoys within Syria, claiming that they were carrying ammunition to Hezbollah, Israel’s Lebanon-based adversary. The attacks have happened almost 100 times over the past five years, according to the Israeli Air Force commander.
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