Israel has struck what it referred to as Iranian targets inside Syria in “large-scale” raids. The operations come after an Israeli warplane crashed under fire from Syrian air defenses.
Israel’s raids came after it had intercepted what it said was an Iranian drone entering its airspace from Syria, which it labeled an “attack.” The incident marked the first occasion that Israel has publicly acknowledged attacking what it identified as Iranian targets in Syria since the conflict started.
“Twelve targets, including three aerial defense batteries and four Iranian targets that are part of Iran’s military establishment in Syria were attacked,” a military statement said. Israeli military spokesman Jonathan Conricus sent a warning to Syria and Iran, saying they were “playing with fire,” while he stressed that his country was not seeking an escalation.
“This is the most blatant and severe Iranian violation of Israeli sovereignty in the last years,” Conricus told journalists. The ongoing confrontations are seen as the most serious between archenemies Israel and Iran since the beginning of the Syrian civil war in 2011.
The Syrian military and its allies deny that the unmanned drone had violated the Jewish state’s airspace, saying it was on a regular mission gathering intelligence on “Islamic State” (IS) militants.
During the confrontations, an Israeli F-16 fighter jet was hit, presumably by Syrian fire, resulting in the plane crashing over Israeli soil. An Israeli official told the Reuters news agency that the jet was shot down. The two pilots involved survived the crash and are being treated for injuries.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on all parties to “exercise restraint” and work towards “an immediate and unconditional de-escalation of violence.”
In a statement, he stressed that the Syrian people are suffering “through one of the most violent periods in nearly seven years of conflict.”
Netanyahu discusses military actions with Putin
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meanwhile spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the tensions in Syria in a telephone call, the Russian Interfax news agency cited the Kremlin as saying.
“They discussed the situation around the actions of the Israeli air force, which carried out missile strikes on targets in Syria,” Interfax said, stressing that Putin told Netanyahu that there was a need to avoid any steps that would lead to a new confrontation in the region.
Iran decries Israeli ‘lies’
Iran, meanwhile, denounced the news of successful Israeli strikes as “lies” and said Syria had the right to self-defense in response to Israeli strikes.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi said in order “to cover their crimes in the region, Israeli officials are resorting to lies against other countries.” Ghasemi added that “Iran does not have a military presence in Syria, and has only sent military advisers at the request of the Syrian government.”