Advertisement

Syrian fighter plane shot down, Israel claims

The pilot and navigator aboard parachuted to safety.

By Ed Adamczyk
Israeli-controlled Golan Heights (CC/ wikimedia.org/ L. Knutsen)
Israeli-controlled Golan Heights (CC/ wikimedia.org/ L. Knutsen)

JERUSALEM, Sept. 23 (UPI) -- Israel said it shot down a Syrian fighter plane Tuesday morning as it flew over the Israel-controlled Golan Heights, adding two people aboard the plane parachuted to safety.

Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon said the plane, a Russian-built Shukov Su-24, "approached Israeli territory in the Golan Heights in a threatening manner, and even crossed the border." The plane was 800 meters into Israeli air space when the decision was made to intercept it, a senior Israel Defense Force official said.

Advertisement

The plane was likely on its way to bomb Syrian rebel targets, the official said. The pilot and navigator aboard parachuted safely into Syrian territory.

"We cannot tolerate any penetration of the Israeli airspace, so we had to shut him down even though we understand that his intention was not to attack us. We are not involved in the war in Syria, and we don't have any intention to be involved. We have to keep our borders safe on one side but we have to make sure we are not part of this war," said Israeli Brig. Gen. Ram Shmueli after the incident, which, he added, had nothing to do with the bombing of Islamic State targets by the United States and its Middle Eastern allies.

Advertisement

Israel has responded, in the past, to what it considered stray fire in and over the Golan Heights from the Syrian civil war.

Syrian television, quoting a Syrian military source, called the incident within the "framework of (Israel's) support for the terrorist (Islamic State) and the Nusra Front."

Shmueli said he suspected the Syrian plane strayed into Israeli airspace accidentally, adding, "I believe it's an isolated event. I don't see any escalation. I believe the Syrians know we don't have any intention to be part of this war. They know our policy ahead of time because we say it clearly, loudly and publicly."

Latest Headlines