Showing posts with label Syria. Show all posts

Friday, March 2, 2018

Report: Satellite Surveillance Finds Iranian Missile Base in Syria - Israel Today

Report: Satellite Surveillance Finds Iranian Missile Base in Syria

Friday, March 02, 2018 | Israel Today Staff

Topics:

Iran

Iran's presence in Syria can no longer be dismissed as involvement in its ally's ongoing civil war.

Fox News reported this week that satellite imagery had revealed a new Iranian military facility near Damascus.

The size and position of two large hangars indicate that the base is hosting short and medium range missiles.

A similar base constructed by Iran last year was bombed and destroyed by Israel.

The rebellion against Syrian dictator Bashar Assad wouldn't require Iran to deploy medium range missiles to the country, especially given that the Russian Air Force is also involved on their behalf.

The only reasonable assumption is that these missiles are meant for Israel.

PHOTO: Israel's Iron Dome, Patriot and David's Sling anti-missile systems have been deployed to counter the Iranian threat. In the photo, an Iron Dome battery intercepts a Hamas missile fired from Gaza. (Miriam Alster/Flash90)

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Sunday, February 11, 2018

Israel Launches Devastating Aerial Assault on Syria After F-16 Shot Down Over Galilee - Israel Today

Israel Launches Devastating Aerial Assault on Syria After F-16 Shot Down Over Galilee

Sunday, February 11, 2018 | Israel Today Staff

Topics:

Syria

The Israel Air Force hadn't lost a fighter jet to enemy fire in 34 years, until Saturday, when Iranian and Syrian forces downed an Israeli F-16 over the Galilee.

The plane in question was part of a strike force on a retaliatory mission into Syria after an Iranian drone entered Israeli airspace during the early morning hours.

The drone was promptly shot down, and then a squadron of Israeli fighters entered Syria to destroy the command center from which the infiltrator had been remotely piloted.

The Israeli planes faced overwhelming anti-aircraft fire. The downed F-16 was hit either directly by an Iranian-supplied Syrian missile, or by shrapnel resulting from an explosive anti-aircraft shell.

Either way, the injured pilots managed to return to Israeli airspace before crashing near a kibbutz in the Jezreel Valley.

That sparked a full day of devastating Israeli aerial assaults on Iranian and Syrian military installations.

According to IDF officials, four Iranian and eight Syrian bases were hit, including Syria's main command and control bunker.

Many of those installations were covert in nature.

"They, and we, know what we hit and it will take them some time to digest, understand, and ask how Israel knew how to hit those sites," Israeli Intelligence Minister Yisrael Katz told Army Radio. "These were concealed sites and we have intelligence agencies and the ability to know everything that is going on there and yesterday we proved that."

In addition to the demoralizing effect of destroying secret bases, Israel also reportedly did significant damage to Syria's air defenses.

Air Force commander Brig. Gen. Tomer Bar told reporters that Saturday's bombings constituted "the biggest and most significant attack the air force has conducted against Syrian air defenses since Operation Peace for the Galilee" - Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon to halt incessant PLO terrorist attacks.

Unsurprisingly, Saturday's aerial assault on Syria won the support of the Trump Administration in Washington.

"Israel is a staunch ally of the United States, and we support its right to defend itself from the Iranian-backed Syrian and militia forces in southern Syria," read a statement released by US President Donald Trump.

"We call on Iran and its allies to cease provocative actions and work toward regional peace," the White House added.

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Tuesday, January 30, 2018

Syria Threatens to Fire Missiles at Israel's Ben Gurion Airport - Israel Today

Syria Threatens to Fire Missiles at Israel's Ben Gurion Airport

Tuesday, January 30, 2018 | Israel Today Staff

Topics:

Syria

Syrian dictator Bashar Assad threatened at the weekend to strike Israel's primary point of entry, Ben Gurion International Airport.

Assad said in a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin that if Israel again attacks on Syrian soil, he will fire SCUD missiles at Ben Gurion Airport.

That according to the Lebanese newspaper A-Diyar, which reported that Putin promised to pass the message along to Israel.

Israel has struck both Syrian government and Hezbollah targets in the war-torn country on numerous occasions, the latest attack occurring just three weeks ago, when Israeli aircraft attacked a weapons depot not far from Damascus.

The Israeli attacks are ostensibly to prevent Syria from obtaining advanced weapons from Iran and other sources and then passing them on to Hezbollah.

PHOTO: An Up plane, a branch of the El Al airline, seen at the Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv, on August 17, 2016. (Tomer Neubergi/Flash90)

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