Israeli military shoots down Syrian jet that infiltrated its airspace | The Indian Express

Israeli military shoots down Syrian jet that infiltrated its airspace | The Indian Express

Israeli military shoots down Syrian jet that infiltrated its airspace

Today was the first time government forces reached the border fence with the United Nation's Disengagement Observer Force at the edge of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

By: Express Web Desk | Beirut | Updated: July 24, 2018 7:42:40 pm

A Sukhoi Su-24 fighter jet takes off from the Hmeymim air base near Latakia, Syria, in this handout photograph released by Russia’s Defence Ministry on October 22, 2015. REUTERS/Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation/Handout via Reuters

Israel Tuesday shot down a Syrian fighter jet which it claimed had breached its airspace, reported AP. According to the Israeli military, the Syrian Sukhoi fighter jet was shot down with Patriot missiles after it penetrated Israeli airspace by about two kilometers (1.2 miles).

Syrian forces have been battling rebels and Islamic State militants at the frontier with Israel in recent weeks.

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Israel warns Syrians away from frontier as Assad closes in

Dozens of Syrians approached the Israeli frontier on the Golan Heights on Tuesday in an apparent attempt to seek help or sanctuary from a Russian-backed Syrian army offensive, before turning back after a warning from Israeli forces.

Today was the first time government forces reached the border fence with the United Nation’s Disengagement Observer Force at the edge of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. This incident was the first time Israel took down a Syrian jet in nearly four years.

As per the Israeli military, reported AP, Syrian Air Force had intensified their activity since morning hours.

Minutes before the reported shootdown, Syria’s state-run Al-Ikhbariya TV was broadcasting footage from the fence demarcating the U.N. buffer zone between Syrian and Israeli forces inside the Golan Heights. A U.N. observer post could be seen just on the other side of the fence.The camera showed an Israeli post 400 meters (440 yards) away.

Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in 1967. The U.N. deployed a peacekeeping force between the two sides in 1974.

It is the first time government forces have taken up positions along the frontier since an uprising against President Bashar Assad swept through the country in 2011. Islamic State militants later seized territory from rebels along the frontier region

(With inputs from AP)

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