IDF attacks Syria in retaliation for drone infiltration

Israel’s Air Force attacked targets in the Quneitra region along Israel’s northern border after Syria sent a reconnaissance drone into Israeli territory. 

By: World Israel News Staff

The Israeli Air Force carried out airstrikes in southern Syria early Thursday morning, shortly after midnight, several hours after a Syrian drone violated Israeli air space in what was reportedly a reconnaissance mission to gather intelligence.

The IDF targeted three positions of the Assad regime.

Here is video footage of the Israeli attack:

The IDF said it will “continue to act decisively and forcefully against attempts to violate Israeli sovereignty,” warning the Syrian regime against any attempt to act against Israeli forces.

According to the military, shortly after 3:15 p.m. Wednesday, an apparently unarmed Syrian drone entered Israeli airspace from Syria through the demilitarized zone between the two countries, first passing over Jordan. Some 16 minutes later, a Patriot anti-aircraft missile was fired at the UAV, shooting it down over the Sea of Galilee, IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus told reporters.

The military quickly recovered the fragments of the drone in an area south of the Sea of Galilee. It did not appear to have been armed and was more likely sent into Israel on a reconnaissance mission, Conricus said.

The delay in destroying the drone was reportedly due to an Israeli interest in coordinating the move with the Russians. At the time of the incident, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was set to meet with President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

The IDF wanted to avoid a situation in which a Russian aircraft was mistakenly targeted, several reports indicated.