JERUSALEM – Israel issued stark warnings on Sunday over Iran’s presence inneighbouring Syria after a confrontation threatened to open a new andunpredictable period in the country’s seven-year civil war.

Israel carried out major air raids in Syria on Saturday, including againstwhat it described as Iranian targets — the first time it had publiclyacknowledged doing so since the war began.

The raids came after an Israeli F16 fighter was shot down by Syrian airdefences. The pilots survived, but it was Israel’s first loss of a warplanein battle since 1982.

“We inflicted on Saturday a heavy blow to Iranian and Syrian forces,” PrimeMinister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the start of Sunday’s cabinet meeting.

“We made clear to everyone that our rules of engagement will not change inany way. We will continue to harm anyone who tries to harm us. This was ourpolicy and this will remain our policy.”

Other Israeli ministers spoke of refusing to accept Iran entrenching itselfmilitarily in Syria, as Netanyahu has said repeatedly. Tehran denies it isdoing so.

While several analysts said they did not expect a further escalation in thecoming days, some spoke of the possibility of the Syrian war entering a newphase.

Syria has become more emboldened to try to stop Israeli strikes inside thecountry, while Israel wants to maintain its ability to operate there whenit sees fit, said Ofer Zalzberg of the International Crisis Group thinktank.

Israel has sought to stay out of direct involvement in the Syrian war, butit acknowledges carrying out dozens of air strikes there to stop what itdescribes as deliveries of advanced weapons to Hezbollah.

Israel fought a devastating war in 2006 with Hezbollah, which along withIran and Russia backs the Syrian regime in the conflict.

“I think this incident is more likely to be contained because fundamentallyit is a gradual attempt to renegotiate the so-called rules of the game,”Zalzberg said, adding that Russia should mediate.

Witnesses said Israel had deployed a missile defence system in theIsraeli-occupied Golan Heights near the demarcation line with Syria onSunday morning.‘Playing with fire’

Saturday’s events began with Israel shooting down what it described as anIranian drone that had entered Israeli airspace from Syria — which Tehranhas denied.

On Sunday, Israeli military spokesman Jonathan Conricus alleged the dronewas a copy of a US model captured by Iran in 2011. He said the conclusionwas made from an analysis of the drone’s debris.

Israel responded on Saturday with a raid on what it said was the Iraniancontrol systems in Syria that sent the drone.

During that raid, the Israeli F16 met heavy Syrian anti-aircraft fire andwas hit, Israeli Air Force Brigadier General Amnon Ein Dar told army radio.

The pilots ejected and the plane crashed inside Israel. One crew member wasseverely wounded, but his condition was said to be improving on Sunday.

Israel then carried out what it called “large-scale” air strikes insideSyria, including against what it described as Iranian targets.

Conricus warned on Saturday that Syria and Iran were “playing with fire”,but stressed that Israel was not seeking an escalation.

“This is the most blatant and severe Iranian violation of Israelisovereignty” in recent years, Conricus said.

Iran dismissed Israeli “lies” and said Syria had the right to defend itselfagainst Israeli attacks.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi said “Iran does not havea military presence in Syria, and has only sent military advisers at therequest of the Syrian government.”

Russia stressed the need to “avoid any measure that could lead to adangerous escalation”.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for an immediatede-escalation.

Netanyahu spoke with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and US Secretaryof State Rex Tillerson after Saturday’s confrontation.

Washington backed Israel and blamed Iran for the escalation.

Tillerson on Sunday begins a Middle East tour that will take him to Jordan,Turkey, Lebanon, Egypt and Kuwait.

Netanyahu has met regularly with Putin in recent months in a bid toconvince Russia to keep Iranian forces away from Israeli territory.

Russia and Israel have also established a hotline to avoid accidentalclashes in Syria.

Israel is technically at war with Syria and occupies a swathe of the GolanHeights that it seized in the Six-Day War of 1967 and later annexed in amove never recognised by the international community. – APP / AFP