Syrian Air Force Shoots Down Israeli Jet near Damascus
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Syrian air force shot down an Israeli jet after launched missiles targeting military outposts near Damascus on Tuesday.
The army said the Syrian air defense confronted the missile attacks on the outposts in the area of Qutayfeh in the Damascus countryside on Tuesday, according to AP.
The statement added several missiles were first launched at 2:40 a.m., followed by two more missiles at 3:04 a.m. and four at 4:14 a.m.
The military said the Syrian air defense shot down one missile and the rest fell on one of the Syrian military sites, causing material damage.
Syria’s official news agency (SANA) cited the general command of the army as saying that the attack had been carried out to raise the morale of the “defeated” terrorists in the Arab country.
“This flagrant aggression reaffirms Israel’s support for the armed terrorist groups in Syria and its desperate attempts to lift its morale,” the statement read.
The Israeli military declined to comment on the matter.
During the past few years, Israel has frequently attacked targets in Syria in what is considered as an attempt to prop up terrorist groups that have been suffering defeats in their fight against Syrian government forces.
Back in April 2015, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu officially admitted for the first time that the regime's military had conducted strikes in Syrian territory.
Damascus says Israel and its Western and regional allies are aiding Takfiri terrorist groups operating inside the Arab country, while the Tel Aviv regime's military carries out such sporadic strikes against Syrian government forces. The Israeli regime has even set up field hospitals to treat wounded militants evacuated from Syria.
