DAMASCUS, ($1=1,257.86 Syrian Pounds) – Iran’s air defense system, located in Syria, has tried to shoot down an Israeli fighter jet by firing missiles at it, learned BulgarianMilitary.com, citing three independent sources. A field source, the Russian media Aviapro, and the Israeli media Haaretz reported the incident.
“In one of the latest strikes in Syria, which was attributed to Israel, Syrian soldiers fired missiles from Iranian defense systems at the plane,” said Yaniv Kubovich, a Haaretz reporter.
The rockets fired did not hit the Israeli fighter. It is alleged that the Israeli fighter had an electronic warfare system, which prevented the missiles from approaching it. This action by Iran is the first known direct action against the Israeli Air Force over Syrian territory.
Israel has been carrying out airstrikes on Syria over the past few months. Tel Aviv has not confirmed any so far. The Israeli army generally does not confirm or deny its involvement in such actions. Israel only confirms military operations aimed at revenge for an attack on Israel.
What are the versions?
There are several versions of the attacked Israeli fighter. The most widely circulated are two – the Israeli Air Force has discovered positions of Iranian air defense systems in Syria and destroyed them. The second version is that the fighters withdrew from the operation after they found out that they had been intercepted by Iranian air defenses.
Both versions are confirmed by Aviapro and Haaretz. Israeli media claim that in recent years, in addition to deploying surface-to-air missile systems on Syrian territory and supporting the Syrian Arab Army, Tehran has deployed dozens of drones, attacking or reconnaissance, also on Syrian territory to participate. in the actions of Hezbollah and Hamas against Israel.
“Defense sources claim that Iran’s air defense systems have helped Syria improve its capabilities against Israeli aircraft. According to these sources, the Syrians have managed to reduce their response time to Israeli attacks and have improved their ability to destroy ammunition fired from Israel into Syria. Officials are concerned about the possibility of these defense systems finding their way to Iranian-backed terrorist groups such as Hezbollah in Lebanon and Houthis in Yemen, as well as other groups. Officials have also identified an increased Iranian deployment of drones against Israel, through Hezbollah, Hamas, and others. The air force has prioritized the location and attack of these drones,” Haaretz also said.
Israeli-Iranian proxy war / cold war
Communication between Israel and Iran is mostly threatening and hostile. Such has been the relationship between the two countries for a very long time. This situation is known as the proxy conflict, the proxy war, or the Cold War between the two countries.
The conflict “appeared” on the world map after the Iranian revolution in 1979. In all the years to this day, Iran aims to destroy Israel as a state. Tehran supports groups and organizations that are hostile to the Jewish state and people. On the other hand, Israel is worried about Iran’sIran’s nuclear program. The proximity of the two countries worries Tel Aviv that Iranians could use them against Israel if Iran has nuclear weapons. Israel also finds its allies in the face of the United States and Saudi Arabia, which are apparent opponents of Iran.
Thus, this conflict gradually turned into an Israeli-Iranian war. The competition has been going on since the start of the Syrian civil war. According to Iran, Israel rules by an illegitimate “Zionist regime,” a Tehran problem. Iran’sIran’s other point of reference is that the United States is hostile to Muslims because it supports Israel.
The civil war in Syria
The Syrian civil war has been going on for almost a decade. Attempts by movements such as the Syrian Democratic Forces to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad have failed.
The Syrian democratic forces are armed by allies and the United States, while the Syrian army is armed mainly by Russia. Russia is the only country officially invited to Syria by President Bashar al-Assad.
In 2017, the United States launched a massive missile strike on Bashar al-Assad’s forces after a report emerged that the Syrian president had used chemical weapons to attack his people in the country. Syria and Russia deny such actions.
During his tenure, US President Donald Trump decided to withdraw much of US troops from Syria, leaving several troops to guard Syria’s oil fields on the pretext of “falling into the hands of Islamic State.”
With the withdrawal of the United States, Turkey comes to the fore, declaring it necessary to deal with the Kurds and the PKK movement in the northern part of the country, which borders Turkey. That is why Erdogan is sending troops in an attempt to build a stable and secure 30km zone between Syria and Turkey, which will prevent future terrorist attacks on Turkish territory, as it is.
Ceasefire
In February 2020, Turkey lost at least 62 troops killed in Syria. Nearly 100 soldiers were wounded, Syrian-backed forces destroyed dozens of Turkish armored vehicles, and more than ten drones, including drones, were shot down. Washington has repeatedly accused Moscow of involvement in the deaths of Turkish soldiers, Russia rejects these allegations.
In early March 2020, the presidents of Russia and Turkey, Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, agreed that a ceasefire came into force in the Idlib de-escalation zone. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad later said that if the US and Turkish military did not leave the country, Damascus would use military power.
The reason for the Russian-Turkish negotiations was a sharp aggravation of the situation in Idlib, where in January, a large-scale offensive by the Syrian army against the positions of the armed opposition and terrorists began.
Government forces recaptured nearly half of the Idlib de-escalation zone and left behind several Turkish observation posts. After that, Ankara sharply increased its military contingent in the region and launched the operation “Spring Shield” to push the Syrian troops. Militants are loyal to Ankara and support Turkey.
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