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"Major
Escalation": Israel Carries Out "Large Scale Attack"
On Syria After Israeli F-16 Shot Down
10
February, 2017
Update
3: According
to Reuters,
Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
discussed the situation in Syria in a telephone call following the
heavy Israeli air strikes in the country, Interfax news agency cited
the Kremlin as saying.
“They
discussed the situation around the actions of the Israeli air force,
which carried our missile strikes on targets in Syria,” Interfax
quoted the Kremlin, adding that Putin told Netanyahu there was a need
to avoid any steps that would lead to a new confrontation in the
region.
*
* *
Update
2:
Iran dismissed Tel Aviv’s claims concerning an Iranian drone and a
downed Israeli jet as “ridiculous.” An Iranian commander also
warned Iran
could unleash “hell” on the “Zionist regime” and destroy all
US bases in the area.
“The
claim about the flight of an Iranian drone and Iran’s involvement
in the downing of a Zionist fighter jet is so ridiculous that it does
not merit a comment,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram
Qassemi said. He added that Iranian officials are acting in Syria
only as advisers and do so “at the request of the… legitimate and
lawful government."
Meanwhile,
Brigadier General Hossein Salami, the deputy head of Iran’s elite
Revolutionary Guards Corps, said that "any aggressive actions”
by Tel Aviv would trigger a serious response. That is because Iran is
capable of creating “hell for the Zionists."
*
* *
Update: According
to Al
Masdar,
the Israeli pilot whose warplane was shot down by Syrian air defense
forces on Saturday morning has died from injuries sustained during
the engagement.While according to initial reports both crew members
ejected – the weapons operator with light injuries and the pilot
with ‘severe’ injuries, according to subsequent, still
unconfirmed, reports, the Israeli pilot with serious injuries has
died in hospital. No further details were given according to Al
Masdar. This
report however is being denied by the Times
of Israel which
reported that the pilot suffered wounds to chest, abdomen while
ejecting from jet; co-pilot set to be released home Sunday.
The condition of the pilot, who was seriously injured after he was forced to evacuate the plane, stabilized Saturday morning, but he was still unconscious and connected to a respirator, doctors at Haifa’s Rambam Medical Center said.
The
condition of a seriously wounded Israeli pilot began to improve
Saturday, after he underwent surgery for injuries he sustained while
ejecting from his plane over northern Israel, in the midst of a
severe confrontation between Israel, Syria, and Iran, the ToI
reported. The F-16 jet he was piloting took part in Israeli
airstrikes in response to an Iranian drone that entered Israeli
airspace from Syria in the early morning hours on Saturday.
As
reported earlier (see below), a major battle broke out on Saturday
between the Israeli Air Force and Syrian Air Defence Force over the
occupied Golan Region, south Lebanon and the west Damascus region.
During the confrontation that lasted for hours, Israeli
warplanes and Syrian anti-aircraft systems traded missile fire –
literally dozens of such munitions were fired – as the latter
launched a general attack against ‘Iranian and regime’ bases west
of Damascus.
And
in a major escalation, one which has the potential to escalate into
all out war, at the beginning of the battle, a Syrian
surface-to-air missile downed an Israeli F-16I fighter jet over the
occupied Golan Heights (described
as ‘northern Israel’ by Israeli sources).
* * *
Earlier:
Open war has now essentially broken out between Israel and Syria. Israel confirms through its IDF spokesperson that it has carried out "a large scale attack" consisting of at least a dozen strikes on Syrian and Iranian military targets inside Syria, in what Reuters dubbed a "major escalation of tension".
What we previously described as Assad's strategic "waiting game" and reluctance to respond to repeat Israeli violations of Syrian airspace while launching unprovoked attacks appears to be over as Syrian air defense has shot down an Israeli F-16 fighter jet near the Golan border region in what is a major escalation in the conflict.
Though
details remain murky and are still developing, Israel
has confirmed that its F-16 jet has crashed in Israeli
territory after it was struck carrying out operations targeting
locations in Syria. The IDF spokesman quickly stated in a
tweet confirming
the shoot down that "Iran is responsible for this severe
violation of Israeli sovereignty."
Confirmed
photographs of the F-16 crash site in Northern Israel, which
is reported to
be 20-30km from the Syrian border.
Israeli security forces walk next to the remains of the downed F-16 Israeli war plane near the Israeli village of Harduf, Israel. February 10, 2018. Image source: Reuters
The
two Israeli pilots ejected, landing inside Israel in the northern
countryside of Galilee and were rushed to a hospital, according to
local media reports. Israeli military statements have indicated
that one of the pilots suffered severe injuries as a result of
the emergency ejection from the aircraft.
Video
first posted on social media captured by onlookers in the
area appears
to show a pilot parachuting into
the northern Israeli countryside of Galilee.
Early
unconfirmed footage of the F-16 crash and subsequent rescue have
emerged on social media. The following shows multiple scenes
currently circulating from the early morning incident:
This
is the first time in the 7-year long Syrian war that an Israel jet
has been shot down, and after promising a swift response, Israel
has launched multiple retaliatory strikes against Syrian military
bases in the southwest countryside of Damascus.
Beirut-based Al
Masdar News reports
that the incident occurred at approximately 6:30 A.M.
Saturday morning (local time) and that the Israeli F-16 fighter
was hit while flying within Syrian airspace near Damascus.
Official
Israeli statements claim multiple of its
jets were scrambled in response to an Iranian drone launch into
Israeli airspace,
which the IDF says was intercepted amidst "massive
Syrian anti-air fire".
The F-16 was engaged in an operation to destroy the Syrian ground
base from which the UAV was launched.
According
to the Israeli version of events issued in real time by IDF spokesman
Jonathan Conricus:
The
Syrian military has stated that its air defense missile system
further struck
an Israeli drone shortly after the F-16 was downed,
which had been launched from the Israeli occupied Golan Heights.
There's not been immediate Israeli confirmation of this second
aircraft downing.
In
response to the F-16 downing, after 8:00 A.M. local time the
Israeli Air Force fired several missiles targeting the Al-Kiswah area
near what is said to be an Iranian base outside of Damascus. And
shortly after this initial Israeli retaliation strike, a
more massive wave of missiles hit a mountaintop Syrian Army base in
the same area. Regional
sources are reporting that multiple Israeli missiles struck the base,
while others were intercepted by Syrian air defense.
It
appears that Israel launched missiles on locations in central Syria
as well, with casualties reported among Syrian Army forces and their
allies. The Associated Press cites a Syrian opposition monitoring
group to
report the following:
A Syria war monitor says Israel has struck targets in central Syria and the southwestern suburbs of the capital Damascus in two separate and successive waves of airstrikes.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says the first round targeted in the central desert area where Syrian troops and their Iranian-backed allies including Hezbollah are known to maintain bases. It cited unconfirmed reports of casualties among Syrian government forces and allied militiamen.
The Britain-based Observatory, which monitors the Syria war through a network of activists on the ground, says the second round targeted outposts in the southwestern suburbs of Damascus.
Syrian
government media reported multiple missile intercepts, likely through
its sophisticated Russian-supplied anti-air defense system, and
confirmed the large-scale Israeli attack on Syrian military locations
in central Syria.
The army air defense confronted a new Israeli aggression on one of the military positions in the central area and hit more than one aircraft...
Moreover, the Army air defense confronted another Israeli aggression on Damascus Countryside on Saturday morning...
Meanwhile, media of the Israeli enemy admitted that the Syrian air defense shot down an F-16 jet over Galilee in occupied Palestine and that its pilots were injured, confirming the closure of parts the Israeli airspace for aviation after downing the warplane.
As
a result of escalating events airspace
closures have been reported over northern Israel,
as well as multiple Israeli air defense warning sirens sounding at
the Golan Heights and throughout lower and upper Galilee.
Israel's
Ben Gurion international airport outside of Tel Aviv was
also reportedly
on lockdown for some period of time after the exchange of fire
between Syrian and Israeli forces.
Meanwhile,
the Israeli military has blamed close Syrian ally Iran for today's
F-16 shoot down and escalation. The IDF issued a
threatening statement which reads: "The
IDF will act determinately against such severe violations of Israeli
sovereignty by Iran and Syria and will continue to act as necessary.
The IDF is ready for various scenarios and will continue to act
according to situation assessments."
And
according to a statement issued to the AFP, Israel
says Iran and Syria are "playing with fire" but that Israel
does not want escalation. However,
regional media reports indicate Israel
has continued to pound the Damascus countryside throughout the
morning.The
Syrian government has condemned Israel's actions as unwarranted
"aggression".
It
must be remembered that the Israeli Air Force has acknowledged
striking targets inside Syria at
least 100 times over the past few years of the conflict, with
the last attack prior to today's events happening just earlier
this week.
Syria has frequently taken its case before the U.N., calling for
official condemnation of the unprovoked attacks, but has been just as
frequently rebuffed.
In
its now 'open secret' of a years-long pursuit of regime change in
Syria, Israel has given covert support to al-Qaeda linked groups in
Syria's south - near the vicinity of today's F-16 shoot down - which
has involved weapons
transfers and treatment of wounded jihadists in Israeli
hospitals, according
to The
Wall Street Journal.
As former Acting Director of the CIA Michael Morell once directly
told the Israeli public, Israel's
"dangerous game" in Syria has involved getting in bed with
al-Qaeda in order to fight Shia Iran.
And
as Israel has long sought ways to justify attacks on Iranian assets
in Syria while at the same time undermining and destabilizing the
Syrian government, the downing of an F-16 may have given Israel's
hawkish leadership the excuse they've been looking for all along to
escalate toward a final confrontation.
Middle
East based journalist and analyst Elijah Magnier says we could be
witnessing the tipping point that will ignite the entire region.
Magnier reports that
according to a "private
source, all Syrian military and intelligence and their allies'
(Hezbollah) positions in Syrian and Lebanon are on full alert."
This
is a developing story...
Israeli’s
response:
Israel will defend itself against any attack & Iranian foothold in Syria – Netanyahu
RT,
10
February, 2018
Israel
says it does not want war but will not hesitate to defend itself
against any attacks or attempts by Tehran to get a foothold in Syria.
It comes as Israel claims to have downed an Iranian drone over its
territory.
“Our
policy is clear: Israel will defend itself against any aggression and
any attempt to violate its sovereignty,” Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, as cited by Israeli media. He
also accused Iran of undertaking such an attempt on Saturday,
referring to an incident involving an Iranian drone intercepted by
the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) earlier that day.
The
prime minister said he had spoken with Russian President Vladimir
Putin and US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson following the
escalation of tensions.
In
the early hours of Saturday the IDF said they
had intercepted an Iranian unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), which
crossed from Syrian territory into Israel. In response, Israel
launched an attack on Iranian positions in Syria, scrambling its
fighter jets. The operation prompted massive anti-aircraft fire by
Syrian forces.
Israel’s
military later said one of its F-16 jets crashed as
a result of “massive
Syrian anti-air fire.” The
pilots ejected and survived the crash. In response, the IDF said it
had carried out the “biggest” attack
on Syrian and Iranian targets inside Syria in decades.
Damascus
called Israeli actions an outright “aggression.” Tehran
meanwhile rejected the claim that one of its drones had made an
incursion, branding the allegation “ridiculous.”
Earlier,
the IDF also cautioned Damascus
and Tehran they are “playing
with fire.” Responding
later on Saturday, the deputy head of Iran’s elite Revolutionary
Guards Corps said the
country could potentially create “hell
for the Zionists” if
Israel engages in any “aggressive
actions.”
The
Kremlin confirmed Putin’s conversation with Netanyahu. Moscow
called on all sides to avoid any steps that could potentially lead to
another dangerous confrontation in the region. However, the Russian
foreign ministry warned that
Israeli actions in particular could destabilize the de-escalation
zone southern Syria, to which Moscow has been a key contributor.
We could ‘destroy all US bases in region & create hell for Zionist regime’ – Iranian commander
RT,
10
February, 2018
Tehran
has dismissed Tel Aviv’s claims concerning an Iranian UAV and a
downed Israeli jet as “ridiculous.” An Iranian commander also
warned Iran could unleash “hell” on the “Zionist regime” and
destroy all US bases in the area.
“The
claim about the flight of an Iranian drone and Iran’s involvement
in the downing of a Zionist fighter jet is so ridiculous that it does
not merit a comment,” Iranian
Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi said. He added that Iranian
officials are acting in Syria only as advisers and do so “at
the request of the… legitimate and lawful government.”
What’s
more, any “aggressive
actions” by
Tel Aviv would trigger a serious response. That is because Iran is
capable of creating “hell
for the Zionists,” Brigadier
General Hossein Salami, the deputy head of Iran’s elite
Revolutionary Guards Corps, said.
Qassemi
added that Syria is a sovereign state and its government and armed
forces, have a “legitimate
right to defend [its] territorial integrity and counter any kind of
foreign aggression.”
In the early hours of Saturday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF)
claimed they intercepted an Iranian UAV, which crossed from the
territory of Syria into Israel. In response, Israel conducted
airstrikes on Iranian positions in Syria.
The
Israeli military later said that one Israeli F-16 crashed due to
the “massive
Syrian anti-air fire.” The
pilots ejected and survived the incident. In response to the crash,
the IDF said it struck 12 Iranian and Syrian targets in Syria,
including air defense batteries. Damascus denounced Israeli actions
as “aggression.”
Touching
upon the US policy towards Iran and the sanctions imposed on the
Islamic republic, Salami said that Iran remains strong against all
odds and could potentially destroy “all
American military bases in the region by launching attacks from
inside the country.”
Tensions
between Israel and Iran rapidly flared up following the Saturday
incident. The IDF warned Syria and Iran against “violating” its
sovereignty by saying that both countries would pay a heavy price if
they defy this warning. It also said that Tehran and Damascus
are “playing
with fire.”
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