Israel Almost Shot down Russian Jet in Syria
By The Jerusalem Post. The Israel Air Force came close to shooting down a Russian Air Force jet that was headed toward Israeli airspace in 2015, former defense minister Moshe Ya’alon said in an interview on Saturday.
“At the very beginning of the Russian presence [in Syria], there was a case where one Russian pilot almost crossed our border over the Golan Heights. If it was a Syrian plane we would have shot it down,” Ya’alon told RIA Novosti news agency.
According to Ya’alon, Israel identified the plane as it was approaching, and while it had identified it as Russian, the IAF was prepared to take it down if it did not change course. Ya’alon said contact was made with the Russian-operated Khmeimim Air Base in Syria alerting it to the danger the plane was in and following the warnings, the jet changed direction.
“The issue was resolved immediately,” he said.
The incident occurred shortly after Moscow intervened in the Syrian conflict in September 2015. Shortly thereafter, Israel and Russia implemented a deconfliction mechanism in order to avoid accidental clashes in Syrian airspace where both air forces are active. (Read more from “Israel Almost Shot down Russian Jet in Syria” HERE)
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Report: Iran Planning to Launch a Barrage of Missiles Against Israel
By The Jerusalem Post. Iran is preparing a barrage of missiles to launch against Israeli military positions from Syrian territory, Hebrew media reported Sunday, citing defense officials.
Iran plans to avenge alleged Israeli strikes on its bases in Syria, Ma’ariv defense analyst Alon Ben David said, by targeting military targets in northern Israel.
As of now, Israel is not “on the eve of war against Iran,” he said, “but the Iranians do want revenge for their losses.”
Iran plans to use Shiite militias already deployed in Syria along with experts from Hezbollah, according to Channel 2 News military analyst Roni Daniel. The proxies would be overseen by general Qasem Soleimani, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps abroad.
Tensions have risen dramatically between the two arch-enemies following the infiltration of a Iranian drone into northern Israel, which the IDF says was armed and on a sabotage attack mission against the Jewish State. (Read more from “Report: Iran Planning to Launch a Barrage of Missiles Against Israel” HERE)
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