JERUSALEM/BEIRUT – Israel launched heavy air strikes in Syria on Saturday,saying it hit air defences and Iranian targets, and the Syrian army claimedto have brought down an Israeli F-16 that crashed in northern Israel in amajor escalation of tension.
The Israeli military said early assessments indicated the jet had been shotdown by Syrian fire, but this was still unconfirmed.
It marked the most serious confrontation yet in Syria between Israel andIranian and Iran-backed forces that have established a major foothold inthe country while fighting in support of President Bashar al-Assad in thecivil war.
Israel said the F-16 crashed during a mission to strike Iranian droneinstallations in Syria. It said it sent its jets into Syria after shootingdown an Iranian drone over Israeli territory earlier on Saturday.
The military alliance fighting in support of Assad denied any of its droneshad entered Israeli air space. In a statement, it said Israel had targetedan air base in the Homs desert that is being used to fly drones in missionsagainst Islamic State.
Such “terrorist action” by Israel would be met with a “severe and seriousresponse,” it said.
The Israeli military spokesman said Israel did not seek escalation in theregion, calling its action a “defensive effort triggered by an Iranian actof aggression”.
Iran’s expanding clout during Syria’s nearly seven-year-long war, includingdeployments of Iran-backed forces near the Golan frontier, has raised alarmin Israel, which has said it would act against any threat from its regionalarch-enemy Tehran.
Iranian and Iran-backed Shi‘ite forces, including Lebanon’s Hezbollah, havedeployed widely in support of Assad. Iran’s military chief warned Israellast October against breaching Syrian airspace and territory.
Israel’s air force has targeted Syrian military and Hezbollah targets inSyria on an almost regular basis, but its attacks on Saturday appeared tobe the most intense yet.
Referring to the downed Israeli F-16, an official in the pro-Assad alliancesaid a “message” had been delivered to Israel. “I do not believe matterswill develop to a regional war,” the official said.US HAWKISH ON IRAN
In Washington, President Donald Trump’s administration has backed Israel’shawkish stance on Iran, and declared containing Tehran’s influence anobjective of its Syria policy. On a visit to Israel last month, US VicePresident Mike Pence called Iran the world’s “leading state sponsor ofterror.”
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is also expected to visit the region inthe coming week to discuss the crisis in Syria and other issues, and isscheduled to visit Jordan, Turkey, Lebanon and other countries.
Hezbollah and Israel last fought a major conflict in 2006.
Tensions have also spiked across the frontier between Israel and Lebanonover Israeli plans for border wall, and Lebanese plans to exploit anoffshore energy block which is partly located in disputed waters.
The Israeli military said 12 targets, including three aerial defencebatteries and four Iranian targets that are part of Iran’s militaryestablishment in Syria were attacked.
“During the attack, anti-aircraft missiles were fired towards Israel,triggering alarms that were heard in Northern Israel,” the military said.
Syrian state media reported two separate Israeli attacks.
In the first one, a military source said Syrian air defences had openedfire in response to an Israeli act of “aggression” against a military base,hitting “more than one plane”.
Later, state media said air defences were responding to a new Israeliassault and air defences had thwarted attacks on military positions insouthern Syria.
Israel said one of its attack helicopters shot down an Iranian drone ataround 4.30am (0230 GMT) that had come from Syria into Israel. “Inresponse, the IDF (Israel Defence Forces) targeted Iranian targets inSyria,” the military said.