Israel bombs Syrian anti-aircraft battery

The IAF destroyed a Syrian SA-5 battery after it fired at IAF aircraft in Lebanon.

Israeli warplanes bombed a Syrian anti-aircraft battery near Damascus on Monday morning in retaliation for the battery firing at Israeli Air Force (IAF) aircraft.

An IDF spokesman announced that the SA-5 anti-aircraft battery, situated inside Syria, fired a missile at IAF aircraft flying a routine reconnaissance mission in nearby Lebanon.

In retaliation, IAF warplanes attacked the battery with four projectiles and destroyed it. No Israeli casualties were registered in both incidents.

IDF Spokesman Ron Manelis stated that the incident “was a Syrian provocation, and we will not tolerate it. On the other hand, we do not seek an escalation.”

Manelis also stressed that the Russian army based in Syria received a real-time update on the aerial attack.

The Syrian battery was also the source that fired at IAF aircraft that were returning from a mission in Syria in March.

Israel’s last reported attack in Syria occurred a month ago when the IAF attacked a sensitive Syrian military installation in Hama, deep inside the country.

While Israel has repeatedly attacked Hezbollah weapons shipments and convoys within Syria, it has generally refrained from striking Syrian targets.

By: World Israel News Staff