Syria Says It Downed Israeli Jet; IDF Denies Claim
Tuesday, September 13, 2016 | Israel Today Staff
State-controlled media in Syria on Tuesday claimed that the Syrian army shot down an Israeli fighter jet and a drone that had violated the country’s airspace, a claim that was quickly denied by the Israeli army.
Israeli aircraft did indeed conduct an overnight mission in Syrian airspace after Syrian mortar shells once again landed on the Israeli side of the Golan Heights on Monday.
But Israeli military officials said all aircraft returned safely to base following the operation, despite having been fired at by Syrian forces.
“Two surface-to-air missiles were launched from Syria after the mission overnight to target Syrian artillery positions,” read the Israeli army statement. “At no point was the safety of IDF aircraft compromised.”
Monday’s mortar incident in the Golan was the fifth such case of errant fire resulting from Syria’s ongoing civil war in the past week. Israel has repeatedly stated that it will not tolerate spillover from that conflict endangering the lives of Israeli citizens.
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