Israeli Patriot Missile Shoots Down Syrian Fighter Jet

For the first time since 1985, Israel has shot down a Syrian war plane over its territory. At around 9:15am on Tuesday, a Sukhoi Su-24 entered Israeli airspace, triggering a response by the Patriot anti-missile missile system. A spokesman for the Israeli Defense Forces acknowledged that the army did not believe the plane had hostile intentions but that “we cannot tolerate any penetration of Israeli airspace.” The pilots reportedly ejected safely over Syrian territory. Since the onset of the Syrian civil war three years ago there have been a number of incidents of artillery and missiles being fired from Syria into Israel. The Israelis usually respond in kind despite the belief that the incoming rounds are errant. More recently Israel has increased its vigilance as Islamist groups fight for and against the regime forces loyal to President Bashar Al-Assad. In particular, the Al-Nusra Front, an Islamist group spawned by Al-Qa’ida, has become active near the Syrian-Israeli border. An armistice established at the end of the October (Yom Kippur) War in 1973 has remained in effect for the past four decades. Following Tuesday’s incident, the Syrian government said the shoot-down of the fighter en route to bombing Al-Qa’ida-linked rebel forces “proves Israel support of the Islamic State group and the Nusra Front.”