Israel downs Iranian drone, loses F-16 in counterattack

Source: Washington Examiner | February 10, 2018 | Joel Gehrke

Israel shot down an Iranian drone that entered the country from Syria and launched a counterattack that resulted in the loss of one fighter jet, the Israeli Defense Forces announced.

The Iranian drone was shot down by a helicopter in Israel followed by a raid on the base in Syria from which the drone was operated, according to the IDF. Four Israeli F-16s struck 12 “Syrian and Iranian military targets in Syria.” The Syrians unleashed a “massive” anti-aircraft barrage, however, and one of the fighter jets crashed in Israel. It’s the sharpest confrontation yet between Iranian and Israeli forces since the beginning of the Syrian civil war.

“This is the most blatant and severe Iranian violation of Israeli sovereignty in the last years,” IDF spokesman Jonathan Conricus told reporters Saturday, per the Times of Israel. “That’s why our response is as severe as it is.”

Israel has eyed the Syrian civil war with growing alarm, as Russia and Iran’s support for Syrian President Bashar Assad has allowed the Iranian forces to spread across Syria and pose a threat to Israel. Iran denies having a military presence in Syria.

Likewise, the regime denied sending a drone into Israel. “The enemy’s claims that the drone has entered the airspace of occupied Palestine are sheer lies,” the pro-Assad alliance said Saturday, according to semi-official Iranian media.

Israeli officials released video of the drone being shot down. “The Iranian drone fell in our territory and is in our possession,” Ronen Manelis, another IDF spokesman, told reporters.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Russian President Vladimir Putin in January that Israel would not tolerate an Iranian military build-up in Syria. U.S. officials also have long worried that Iran would establish a land-bridge through Syria to Lebanon, where it supports Hezbollah, and thus have a substantial military presence in two countries that border Israel.

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    Israel’s military forces struck pro-government and pro-Iranian forces in Syria on Saturday after an Israeli fighter jet was downed this week.

    Reuters reports that Israel announced it had undertaken a number of airstrikes Saturday after it says an Iranian drone violated its airspace and an Israeli fighter jet was shot down by what Israel says was Syrian anti-aircraft fire. Both pilots survived with injuries.

    “My impression is that it seems to be contained at this point,” a Western diplomat in the region told Reuters. “I don’t think anybody wants to escalate further.”

    Israel says a drone launched from a Syrian military base was shot down by Israeli forces after it crossed into Israeli airspace, a charge which both Iran and the the coalition of pro-Syrian government forces deny.

    Saturday’s crash occurred after at least eight Israeli fighter jets launched a retaliatory airstrike against the airfield suspected to have launched the drone.

    A official who supports Syrian President Bashar Assad told Reuters that the downing of the jet was a “message” to Israel, but predicted the conflict would not escalate.

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