Tensions has escalated between the State of Israel and Syria when the Israeli military reported that it shot down a Syrian Military Warplane that had reportedly strayed into Airspace controlled by Israel in the Golan Heights.
Israel reported that it shot down the Syrian fighter jet with surface-to-air missiles on Tuesday after the plane infiltrated it’s airspace controls; this incident is likely to spark further tensions between the two countries.
Earlier in the year, Israeli Jets had hit Iranian military targets within Syria as it accused the Iranian regime which supports the regime of Bashar Al- Assad, the embattled Syrian President of using Syria as a base to attack Israeli targets.
Israeli Authorities knew the Jet probably strayed as a result of internal strife within the country and not because it was attacking Israeli targets but still shot it down anyway. Israel has however stressed that it would enforce the ceasefire lines between the two countries.
Speaking on the incident, the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu berated the fact that the Syrian jet infiltrated its airspace, declaring it as a blatant violation of the 1974 separation agreements between Israel and Syria, after the Israel- Arab War that saw Israel capture the Golan Heights for keeps.
“We will not accept any intrusion or spillage into our territory, either from the ground or from the air.” Netanyahu fumed.
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According to the Israeli Military spokesperson, Jonathan Conricus the Warplane crashed on the Syrian side of the fence in the Golan Heights and the fate of the Pilot remained unknown. The plane was hit after it penetrated some 1.25 m into Israeli-controlled airspace in the southern Golan Heights.
Responding to the incident a Syrian military source confirmed that Israel had indeed fired at one of its warplanes while it was carrying out operations against jihadists over Syrian territory and not Israeli airspace as claimed by the Israeli Military. The Syrian Military source also failed to disclose the fate of the pilot of the downed jet.
This is the first time the Israelis would shoot down a Syrian Military Jet since 2014.
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