Israel downs Iranian drone, strikes Syria

According to the Israeli daily Ha’aretz, the military alliance of Syrian President Bashar Assad, Iran and Hezbollah, warned Israel that any further act of what it called “terrorism” would elicit a “severe and serious response”.

The Israeli army shot down an Iranian drone launched from Syria and struck a number of Iranian targets in the war-torn country, according to the Israeli military.

“We consider it necessary to respect absolutely Syria’s and the region’s other countries’ sovereignty and territorial integrity”, Russia’s TASS news agency quoted the Foreign Ministry as saying.

The Russian foreign ministry has urged all sides to refrain from escalating the situation.

“My impression is that it seems to be contained at this point”, said a Western diplomat in the region. “I think it’s good that our enemies learn and understand these capabilities”.

“The allegations regarding surveillance by an Iranian drone are too ridiculous for words”, said Ghasemi.

“The illegitimate Zionist regime can not cover up its atrocities and crimes against Muslim nations in the region by playing a blame game and spreading lies”, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi said on Saturday.

The Israeli pilots of the crashed F-16 were reported to be alive but one was seriously injured.

The wreckage of the Israeli F-16 whose destruction sparked a massive retaliation. The official said the Israeli raids hit a base in the country’s central area, and called it a “new aggression”.

Red alert sirens sounded in areas of northern Israel and the Golan Heights. The frontier fell quiet by mid-afternoon.

There was no comment from the Iranian authorities on the claim.

The attack came after Israel shot down an Iranian drone that infiltrated the country.

Israel has largely confined its operations to targeting Hezbollah, the Shia militant group that is a key ally of Iran.

Iranian and Iran-backed Shi’ite forces, including Lebanon’s Hezbollah, have deployed widely in support of Assad.

Firas Hamdan, 42, a public servant, said such Syrian responses will ensure no more Israeli attacks in Syria.

Netanyahu is seeking to persuade Russian Federation to limit Iran’s presence near Israel and to stop it from entrenching itself militarily in Syria.

The statement said it was “a lie and misleading” to say the drone had entered Israel’s airspace. But he added: “I do not believe matters will develop to a regional war”.

Qasemi said the Syrian government had the right to defend itself “against any foreign aggression” in reference to the Israeli jet being targeted. “Whoever is responsible for this incident is the one who will pay the price”.

In an attempt to contain Iran and its proxies, Israel has regularly carried out airstrikes inside Syria, though it has in the past refrained from acknowledging its responsibility for specific bombings.