DAMASCUS – Syrian anti-aircraft guns have confronted Israeli reconnaissanceaircraft over the southwestern Quneitra province, forcing them to retreat.

“Syrian air defenses have repelled Israeli surveillance planes overQuneitra, forcing them to leave Syrian airspace,” the official SyrianArab News Agency (SANA) reported on Wednesday night.

The incident comes just a few days after the Syrian military downed anIsraeli F-16 warplane over Syrian territory.

The Israeli military confirmed that one F-16 had gone down in northernIsrael, and that its two pilots had ejected and had been located andtransferred to hospital.

Over the past years, Israel has frequently attacked targets in Syria, oftenclaiming that it hit positions or convoys belonging to Iran. This is whileIran has no military presence in Syrian territory, only offering advisorymilitary assistance to the Syrian government fighting an all-outforeign-sponsored militancy.