Israel attacks on Syria. Israel dealt a new blow to targets in Syria. Generalization

Copyright holder illustration   Reuters   Image caption    Israeli F-16 fighter aircraft crashed in the north of the country, pilots ejected, but were injured

Israel dealt a powerful blow to Syria’s air defense system after an Israeli fighter was shot down during an air raid.

According to a senior representative of the Israeli Air Force, General Tomer Bar, this airstrike has become the most powerful since the war in Lebanon in 1982. At the same time, all the aircraft that took part in the combat mission safely returned to base.

Earlier, Israeli aircraft struck at "Iranian targets" in Syria after an Iranian drone launched from Syrian territory was intercepted over the country's territory. The aim of the strikes was a drone control system.

During this attack, Israeli aircraft fired from air defense systems. As a result, one of the fighters was damaged and fell in northern Israel. According to the Israeli military, the pilots ejected, but were injured and were hospitalized.

• Israel threatens to destroy Syria's entire air defense system
• Israel first used the Arrow missile defense system in combat conditions
• Syria fired rockets at Israeli warplanes

This is the first loss of the Israeli Air Force since 2006, when Hezbollah fighters shot down an Israeli helicopter over Lebanon. In this case, all five crew members were killed, including the flight engineer girl.

Syrian authorities have not yet officially commented on the incident. Previously, in such cases, they accused Israel of aggression and used air defense, but so far they have not been able to shoot down Israeli fighters.

Copyright holder illustration   EPA   Image caption    Near the Syrian-Israeli border on the Golan Heights, traces of the launch of Syrian air defense missiles were visible in the sky

At the same time, the Syrian state agency SANA, citing an anonymous source, reports that the Syrian air defense allegedly shot down more than one aircraft. The air defense system repelled an attack by the Israeli Air Force on a military base in central Syria, the report said.

In March last year, Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said that in the event of a new shelling of Israeli aircraft with anti-aircraft missiles, the entire Syrian air defense system will be immediately destroyed.

Then the Syrian missiles were also fired at Israeli planes, striking the territory of Syria. One of the missiles was shot down, the other two fell on Israeli territory. Israeli aircraft were not damaged.

It was reported that Israel then first used the Arrow missile defense system in combat conditions. Now, during the incident with the Iranian drone, in some parts of Israel, an air alert warning system has worked.

Copyright holder illustration   Getty images   Image caption    Israeli Air Force launched a second series of attacks on targets in Syria, with all planes returning to base

Threat sharing

"The Syrians are playing with fire, allowing the Iranians to attack Israel," warned the representative of the Israeli army, Lt. Col. Jonathan Konricus. He also added that Israel will force to pay a high price for a downed plane, but is not interested in escalating the situation.

Meanwhile, Iran and Hezbollah’s Tehran’s support group in Lebanon, whose militants are fighting on the side of Assad’s army, called statements that the Iranian drone entered Israel’s airspace a lie.

In turn, Russia expressed serious concern over the air strikes of the Israeli Air Force and called on all parties to restraint.

What is the Iranian presence in Syria?

Iran remains the main enemy of Israel, while the Iranian military has been fighting since 2011 against anti-government groups in Syria.

Tehran sent military advisers, volunteers, and, according to some reports, hundreds of professional fighters from the ranks of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to Syria.

It is also believed that Iran has sent thousands of tons of weapons and ammunition to Assad’s regime and the militants of Lebanese Hezbollah fighting on its side.

Copyright holder illustration   Reuters   Image caption    The wreckage of a Syrian ground-to-air missile found about two miles from the F-16 crash site

Tehran is accused of not only seeking to strengthen its influence, but wants to provide ground transportation routes for weapons from Iran to Hezbollah militants in Lebanon.

The situation in Syria today again came to the fore. That night, a powerful missile strike was struck at the Tifor airfield of the Syrian Air Force, there are dead. The attack was carried out by Israeli aircraft, this was reported in the Russian Ministry of Defense. They told in detail how it was. Two F-15 fighters, without entering the airspace of Syria, and eight rockets fired from a Lebanese sky at a military facility. Five of them were able to intercept the Syrian air defense, the remaining goals achieved. And as if on command, at the same moment a terrorist ground attack began.

And all this against the background of an actively developing story with a fake chemical attack in the Duma. Western media are actively broadcasting footage of young children allegedly hit, they are watered by water by adults, without any protection.

Last year's video - Hansheikhun - almost a carbon copy. But those accusations of a chemical attack became the reason for the launch of a missile strike by the Americans at the Syrian airfield. And again, calls for a tough answer are heard, and again Trump spills threats on Twitter.

And this despite the fact that from the Duma itself, the last stronghold of the militants in Eastern Ghout, are now being taken out those who agreed to lay down their arms. This is just today's footage. That is, before the complete liberation of the suburbs of Damascus, there are only a few days left, and perhaps this is precisely what gives rest to some in the west.

And today, Vladimir Putin discussed the situation in Syria by telephone with Turkish President Recep Erdogan and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The Russian leader drew attention to the inadmissibility of provocations and speculation.

Official Israel is silent about the night incident. But the Russian Ministry of Defense has data that two Israeli F-15 aircraft attacked the Syrian Tifor airbase. They did not enter Syrian airspace, fired rockets over Lebanese territory. Beirut, incidentally, confirmed the violation by the Israelis of their air borders.

“Here we need to understand. There are many reports about who flew, who did not fly. At least for the time being, Washington has denied that the blows were inflicted by the Americans or any member of their coalition. This once again suggests that it is becoming too dangerous there, in Syria, where there were players whom no one invited anywhere, who invited themselves there under the pretext of destroying ISIS, the fight against terrorism, and then, besides this goal, they began to appear and other goals, both announced and carefully hidden, ”said Sergey Lavrov.

It was no coincidence that Washington hastened to disown the raid. It was the Americans who were suspected by many, when it was still unknown who had struck. Indeed, on the eve of the United States promised to toughly deal with Syria. Trump got to the point that he called Assad an animal, and threatened Russia and Iran that they would pay dearly for his support. All this is being positioned as an alleged response to the alleged chemical attack in the city of Duma, which, of course, Assad was accused of. The video was circulated by the infamous “White Helmets”, which were caught more than once in the staged videos, and this time did not bother too much. On the video frames of the victims, as we are convinced, people without overalls, with their bare hands, wash water from chemical weapons.

“Now that Assad’s victory is no longer in doubt, these gentlemen, with the help of such fake shootings, want to attract attention and somehow change the nature of this war. Those who do not want to leave Syria are trying, with the help of their mercenaries, to do everything to stay there under any pretext, ”explains Igor Nikulin, a former member of the UN Commission on Chemical and Biological Weapons.

The question is not who launched the chemical attack in the Duma, but whether there was a chemical attack at all? Those who were in place, and not just saw the scary videos on the Internet, doubt it.

“Our military experts have already traveled to this place, and representatives of the Syrian Red Crescent Society, which enjoys a very good reputation with international organizations, including the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross, have also visited it. They did not find any traces of the use of chlorine or the use of another chemical against civilians there, ”said Sergey Lavrov.

Here they are, testimonies of Red Crescent employees who assure us that they learned about the chemical attack in the Duma, where they have been working for more than one year, from the news.

“From April 6 to 8, only patients with shrapnel wounds and ordinary military injuries came to our hospital. Not a single person was with chemical poisoning. I have not seen any evidence of a chemical attack in the patients of our hospital, ”says Yasir Abdel Majid, a doctor in the central hospital of the city of Duma.

“I am an assistant to an ambulance doctor, I take patients to a hospital in the city of Duma. From April 6 to 8, we did not have a single victim of chemical poisoning, only ordinary injuries, ”said ambulance driver in the city of Duma, Ahmed Saur.

Moreover, the Red Crescent says that in the past they did not see signs of using chemical weapons.

“There were three cases in January and February of this year. We were brought to the emergency department of people allegedly affected by toxic substances with respiratory problems. After the physical examination, we did not find any problems, provided oxygen assistance, inject saline intravenously. And that’s all. During my work in the Duma there was no evidence of the use of toxic substances, ”said Mohammed Adnan Tbang.

But they all knew. Those in the West who are now unprovenly blaming Assad. It was enough to recall the very recent warning of Vladimir Putin in Astana. During trilateral talks with the leaders of Iran and Turkey, the Russian president warned that militants were preparing a provocation with chemical weapons in the city of Duma.

“Any means are used. We have obtained, for example, irrefutable evidence of the preparation by the militants of provocations using toxic substances. In this regard, we agreed to increase trilateral coordination on all aspects of the anti-terror, to increase the exchange of information, ”said Vladimir Putin.

Everyone knew at the OPCW, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. The Syrian representatives listened to alarm messages and seemed to immediately forget what they heard.

"Syrian representatives passed information to the UN Security Council, here, to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, warned that a provocation using chlorine was being prepared, all this was taken into account, but, unfortunately, this relapse could not be avoided," said Russia's Permanent Representative to the OPCW Alexander Shulgin.

Relapse is when you look at what is happening, and the feeling does not leave: we have already seen all this somewhere. One year ago, Khan Sheikhun. The same shocking shots, which experts later spoke of, are a staging. And the symptoms of poisoning did not match - the pupils of the victims, for example, were dilated, not narrowed. And the author of that scandalous shoot, it turns out, was charged with terrorism and kidnapping. And a specially trained journalist, protected only by a symbolic respirator, without coughing, walked near a hole in the asphalt, where, he assured, that day a chemical shell hit.

The West argued reasonably did not noticely, then, what now. After Khan Sheikhun, the Americans hit rockets at the Shairat air base in Syria. Now - the Israelis, Tifor Air Base. The Pentagon does not exclude military measures against Syria. And the UN Security Council is going on the initiative of nine countries led by the United States to discuss a chemical attack, the fact of which has not yet been confirmed, but the perpetrators have already been appointed. True, then there will be a second meeting, already at the initiative of Russia on a threat to international security.

And now about what is really happening in the city of Duma. Live broadcast on the website of the Russian Ministry of Defense, checkpoint Muhayam al-Wafedin. Militants voluntarily leave the city with their families. Why, then, was to poison someone with gas? Moreover, people leaving the Duma were asked about the alleged chemical attack, and they replied that they heard about it for the first time.

Contrary to expectations, the United States has not yet attempted to strike at Syria, but Israel did so instead. This is not the first time the Israeli army has attacked Syrian targets - but the one that was carried out on Monday night has several features at once. One of them is extremely important and directly related to Russia.

An airstrike at the T-4 airfield of the Et-Tiyas Syrian base in Homs was inflicted by two Israeli F-15 fighters in the Russian Ministry of Defense. The agency’s message says: “On April 9, from 03.25 to 03.53 Moscow time, two Israeli Air Force F-15 aircraft, without entering the Syrian airspace, from Lebanon struck eight guided missiles at the T-4 airfield. "Aircraft defense units of the SAR during the air battle destroyed five guided missiles." Three missiles, according to the Russian military, "reached the western part of the airfield." These missiles could not be shot down due to the fact that the electronic warfare systems at the very beginning of the attack encountered overwhelming external influences, the source of which has not yet been established, by the media.

As the agency SANA reported with reference to a military source, several people were killed and injured as a result of the attack. For example, there were unconfirmed reports of 14 deaths, among which there are Iranian military personnel. So, about the two dead Iranians. “There are no casualties among Russian advisers in Syria,” the release emphasizes.

And the United States is involved in striking at the Syrian military base. The first deputy head of the international committee of the Federation Council, Vladimir Dzhabarov, expressed the view that Russia, through the defense and diplomatic departments, is already asking Israel for the reasons for the air strike on the Syrian military base. “Israel could use some of its intelligence and decide on airstrike,” he stated.

How could the Syrians bring down Israeli missiles? “The Syrians have a wide nomenclature for the destruction of such missiles - from the Strela-10 air defense system to the Shilka missile system and the Buk missile system. They also have Pantsir complexes, a military expert, editor-in-chief of Arsenal of the Fatherland magazine Viktor Murakhovsky told the VZGLYAD newspaper.

On Monday, it was about that Russia had supplied Syria with up to 40 Pantsir-C1 anti-aircraft missile and gun systems to defend against air attack weapons. “We are talking about exports, and not about supplies from the presence of the Ministry of Defense,” a source in the military department said. ZRPK 96K6 "Shell-C1" is just designed for the short-range protection of military and civilian targets, including long-range air defense systems, from all modern and promising air attack weapons.

Et-Tiyas is the oldest and one of the largest aviation bases of the Syrian Air Force. It is located in a strategically important area, in close proximity to the road to Palmyra and not far from the main gas fields that supply blue fuel to Syria's TPPs. During the Russian military operation in Syria, the base was used as a jump airfield. The base was severely damaged and was virtually destroyed as a result of the ISIS * attack in May 2016. In October of that year, a new runway was built at Et-Tiyas.

Recently, it was reported that the air base, presumably, is partially controlled by Iran and its troops are present there. It is from Et-Tiyas that the most frequent sorties are planes attacking the positions of Syrian rebels.

“Israel believes that the main arrays of Iranian unmanned aerial vehicles are deployed there, which were also shot down over Israeli territory. There is a command post, there are aircraft themselves and a unit of the technical support airdrome, ”Murakhovsky explained.

The press service of the Israeli armed forces declined to comment. However, the former head of Israeli military intelligence, Amos Yadlin, said that the night attack of the Syrian military base should be seen in the context of the Israeli-Iranian confrontation, and this is a blow with the aim of primarily preventing the transfer of weapons by Hezbollah to Iran.

Another Israeli general, former Air Force commander Eitan Ben-Eliyahu, also said that Israel is trying to prevent the concentration of Iranian forces in the area. However, in his opinion, this attack was associated with "the use of toxic substances in the city of Duma." According to him, such a blow to the Syrian air base was able to inflict only the United States and Israel, but Washington "had no reason to hide the fact of a missile attack." In addition, according to Ben-Eliyahu, the Pentagon had too little time to prepare for such an attack.

The newspaper LOOK in detail about the alleged chemical attack in Syrian Eastern Ghouta. No evidence that the attack took place and used chemical weapons in it, as well as reliable information about who used it, has not yet been submitted. However, the United States and Britain have already hastened to blame Bashar al-Assad and Russia for everything.

Director of the Center for the Study of the Middle East and Central Asia, Semyon Baghdasarov, told VZGLYAD newspaper: “The political prerequisites for the strike are the contradictions between Israel and Iran, the plans of Tehran, Hezbollah and other Shiite groups to enter the Syrian-Israeli border in the province of Al-Quneitra, to the Golan Heights. "

“It is not known whether the warehouses were there or not, but the Israelis believe that wherever there are Iranian advisers, there are some stores, there are some funds that are subsequently issued to Hezbollah or can be used by the Iranians against Israel. This is the reason why they fired, ”the source added.

Recall, in February, the Israeli Air Force at Et-Tiyas airbase. The reason was that an Iranian drone was launched from this base, violating the airspace of Israel. During the attack, Syrian air defense shot down an Israeli F-16I fighter-bomber.

“Israeli aircraft attacked Syria only last year more than 100 times. The attacks are carried out only on the bases of the Iranians, where various types of missiles and spare parts for them are stored, which Iran sends Hezbollah to Lebanon. In this case, storage facilities were discovered, which were attacked. This is not the first time or the second. Russia knows about this, ”Yakov Kedmi, former director of the Israeli intelligence service Nativ, told VZGLYAD newspaper. Moreover, according to him, Israel has never attacked the Syrian army, nor the Iranian advisers, nor the Shiite militia, nor the Hezbollah in Syria, but only specific attempts to transfer weapons to Hezbollah. “We do not interfere in all other issues,” the source said.

The only important difference between the current attack is that the Israelis usually warned Moscow of the planned attacks, but this time, apparently, they did not. Although the United States. This is especially critical amid tensions over the US-led campaign around an alleged chemical attack in East Ghouta. Therefore, the Kremlin expressed its bewilderment. Russia is communicating with Israel through appropriate channels in connection with the attack on the Syrian air base, presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov. The incident, he said, is a cause for concern for the Kremlin.

“The attack itself, on the whole, is nothing new, except for the fact that Russia officially announced the Israeli strike, which it did not do before. The reason is that rumors began to spread that the attack was carried out by American planes, and in order to refute these rumors, Moscow stated in an exceptional manner that Israeli planes did it, ”Kedmi said. He also added that no special political consequences can be expected here.

* An organization in respect of which the court adopted a final decision on the liquidation or prohibition of activities on the grounds provided for by the Federal Law "On Countering Extremist Activities"

Syrian air defense systems were able to destroy five of the eight missiles

Archive photo

Moscow. April 9th. website - Israeli aircraft launched a missile strike from Lebanese airspace at an airfield in Syria on Monday night, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

"On April 9, between 3:25 a.m. to 3:53 a.m. (Moscow time), two Israeli Air Force F-15 aircraft, without entering the Syrian airspace, from Lebanon struck eight guided missiles at the Tifor airfield," in the Russian military department.

They added that the Syrian air defense units were able to destroy five guided missiles, and three missiles reached the western part of the airfield. The Russian Defense Ministry said that there are no Russian advisers in Syria.

Trump is threatening

Earlier, US President Donald Trump threatened that the Syrian authorities, whom he considers responsible for the use of chemical weapons, "will pay a high price." American media, citing sources in official circles, did not rule out that he had in mind missile attacks on Syrian military targets.

Last night, the official Syrian agency SANA reported that the territory of the air base in the province of Homs was subjected to a missile attack. According to the Pan-Arab satellite channel Al-Mayadin, rockets from the Mediterranean side flew towards Syria over Lebanese territory.

Syrian state television on Monday said that Syrian air defense forces shot down several enemy missiles during the rocket fire on the government’s Air Force Tifor (T-4) airbase. Reported deaths and wounds at the base, but their number was not indicated.

On the night of February 10, Israeli fighters shot down an Iranian drone, which, according to Israel, was launched from Syria. Then Israel in central Syria in the province of Damascus.

As a result of the attack, the Israeli Air Force lost at least one fighter, which fell under the fire of Syrian air defense systems. The fighter fell on the territory of Israel, the pilots ejected.

In Iran, Israel’s reports of an Iranian drone were outrageous.

Subsequently, Israel asked Russia to intervene and prevent the escalation of the situation in Syria after the incident with a downed Iranian drone.

On the evening of February 10, the Kremlin’s press service announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "The situation was discussed around the actions of the Israeli Air Force, which launched missile strikes against targets on the territory of Syria," the statement said.

The Russian side was in favor of avoiding any steps that could lead to a new round of dangerous confrontation in the region for all.

The next day, Israeli intelligence minister Israel Katz stated that striking Iranian military positions in Syria was Israel’s signal that he would not tolerate an Iranian military presence at his borders. According to Katz, the Iranians will have time "to comprehend, understand and ask how Israel will learn how to strike at these objects."

The war of domes and shells. A full-fledged aerial battle broke out in the Syrian sky

A landmark event last week was the exchange of blows between Syria and Israel. For several hours, a full-blown air war unfolded in the sky.

Both sides used the most modern means of their arsenals to repel blows and strike back. Anti-ballistic missiles went into battle Iron dom  ("Iron Dome"), " Shell-S», « Buk-M", Cruise missiles Deliahlong-range ATGM SPIKE-NLOS, shock drones-hunters for air defense Harop  and multiple launch rocket systems " Tornado". Also, according to some reports, Tel Aviv used the latest aeroballistic missiles launched from aircraft.

So far, both sides of the conflict attribute victory to themselves. The Israeli military has distributed several videos recorded from the optoelectronic systems of aircraft weapons (TSA). They show how TSA hit MLRS " Tornado"As well as the launcher" Shell-S". It is noteworthy that experts still argue that these were the means of destruction. In turn, Damascus published several videos on social networks, which clearly show how the Syrian anti-aircraft missiles very effectively destroy certain objects in the night sky.

However, the Russian Ministry of Defense gave the first detailed analysis of the night battle. A few hours after the last volleys, the military department held a special briefing, which reported: during the Syrian air defense battles, about 70 Israeli missiles were destroyed. In general, as during the American-French-English missile strike, Syria's air defense worked well.

Let's try to figure out what happened and what successes both parties achieved.

The riddle of the championship

The first and most difficult question: who was the first to strike? Tel Aviv claims to have resolutely responded to provocations after Israeli territory was shelled by Iranian armed forces in the Golan Heights. Tehran's supporters first used ballistic missiles that were intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system. After that, Tel Aviv decided to launch massive missile attacks on famous Iranian targets in Syria.

At the same time, they said in Damascus that the Israeli armed forces were the first to strike a massive blow, and this was a pre-planned operation. In particular, the airfields and air defense positions were attacked. After repelling the attack, Damascus launched a missile strike against Israeli positions on the Golan Heights, resulting in large casualties from the Israeli armed forces. Moreover, in official statements never  Iranian military units were not mentioned.

Versions of both sides have inconsistencies. I must admit that the Israeli strike was preceded by serious preparation. The operation was clearly planned long ago.. This is supported by the fact that the use of cruise missiles, air defense hunter drones and long-range anti-tank missiles was clearly linked. The targets are clearly reconnoitered in advance, a schedule of their defeat is drawn up in such a way as to reduce the potential of the Syrian air defense and destroy given targets.

But in the version of Israel there is some truth. Most likely, Iran and its proxy forces could not do without it. This is evidenced by the fact that in all statements Damascus in every possible way avoided mentioning the participation of Tehran.

The fact of a ballistic missile strike on Israeli territory is not confirmed. All salvoes across Israel were inflicted by Syrian long-range MLRS Smerch. But there is speculation that Tehran, in response to a break in the US nuclear deal, decided to increase its military capabilities in Syria. Moreover, in many respects the US president made his decision under pressure from the Israeli lobby and Tel Aviv itself. Suffice it to recall: exactly Benjamin Netanyahu  made a report, proving that the Iranian side did not curtail work on nuclear weapons.

As has been mentioned many times, Tehran previously deployed drones on the border with Israel and equip ballistic missile positions. At the same time, Tel Aviv repeatedly attacked, hindering the implementation of Iranian plans. But this time, Tehran crossed a certain “red line” and the Israeli side decided to react as harshly as possible. It can be assumed that Iran nevertheless completed the preparation of launching positions and began the deployment of its ballistic missiles.

Shots of the strike: guided missile destroyed the shell "Shell-C1" in Syria

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