IDF Strikes Syria in Response to Drone Incursion
Written by Yona Schnitzer/TPS on July 12, 2018
The IDF attacked three Syrian military posts overnight between Wednesday and Thursday, in response to a Syrian drone that entered Israeli airspace on Wednesday. The IDF shot the drone down over the Sea of Galilee using a Patriot missile, some 10 kilometers inside Israeli airspace.
“Earlier tonight, Wednesday July 11th, the IDF targeted three military posts in Syria in response to the infiltration of the Syrian UAV into Israel that was intercepted by the IDF earlier today,” the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said in a statement, adding that the IDF “will continue to operate determinedly and decisively against any attempts to hurt Israeli civilians and breaches of Israeli sovereignty.”
“The IDF holds the Syrian regime accountable for the actions carried out in its territory and warns it from further action against Israeli forces,” the statement also read.
The reprisal also coincided with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, where the two discussed regional issues and later watched the World Cup semifinal match between England and Croatia.
Speaking about Iranian presence in Syria, Netanyahu said “our stance is known, Iran must leave Syria, this is nothing you to you.”
“The cooperation between us is a crucial component in preventing the escalations of various situations, that is why I wish to thank you for the opportunity to discuss these issues privately, as well as other issues.”
According to military sources, the reason it took the IDF as long as 16 minutes to intercept the Syrian drone was that the military wanted to coordinate with the Russians in order to be certain that Israel didn’t down a Russian aircraft prior to the Netanyahu -Putin meeting.