Israel Air Force Destroys Syrian Defense System After Missile Fired At Fighter Jet

The Israel Air Force destroyed a Syrian military system that had fired a missile at one of its fighter jets, a move that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu described as an “aggression” to which Jerusalem would continue to respond with “force and firmness.” The Israeli military released a statement that the missile had targeted but missed a plane “in the midst of a routine flight in the north of the country.” The rare engagement is considered an escalation on Damascus’s part, with many speculating about potential Iranian involvement. Since intervening in the Syrian civil war on behalf of the Assad regime, the Islamic Republic has attempted to establish permanent military infrastructure in the nation, prompting Israel to strike hundreds, if not thousands, of these sites. The Jewish state is particularly concerned about the prospect of Tehran – in conjunction with its Lebanon-based Hizbullah terror proxy and foreign Shiite fighters – setting up installations close to Israeli-Syrian border, from where the Syrian missile was launched. Netanyahu is widely believed to have forged an agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin – the major power broker in Syria – to prevent Iranian-allied forces from operating within 60 miles of the frontier. Nevertheless, there have been numerous media reports claiming that military bases have been created on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights.