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IAF downs unidentified aircraft after it crosses Syrian border

The army is investigating the incident, which comes after a series of missile strikes against Iranian targets in Syria attributed to Israel.

An IAF AH-64 Apache helicopter, July 6, 2021. Photo by Ofer Zidon/Flash90.
An IAF AH-64 Apache helicopter, July 6, 2021. Photo by Ofer Zidon/Flash90.

The Israeli Air Force downed an unidentified aircraft on Sunday after it crossed from Syria into Israeli territory, the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement.

Helicopters and fighter jets were scrambled to intercept the drone, which was monitored by the IAF, and it was brought down over open territory in northern Israel.

The drone did not pose a threat and alarms were not activated in nearby communities, according to the IDF.

The military is investigating the incident, which comes after a series of airstrikes in recent days against Iranian targets in Syria attributed to Israel.

Five Syrian soldiers were wounded on Sunday in Israeli airstrikes in Homs province, according to the Syrian Defense Ministry.

Also on Sunday, Iran’s semi-official Mehr News Agency reported that a second Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) member, identified as Meqdad Meqdani, had died of wounds sustained in a March 31 airstrike on the outskirts of Damascus also attributed to Israel.

Citing a military source, Syria’s official Syrian Arab News Agency reported on Friday that “bursts of missiles” had been launched from the direction of the Golan Heights shortly after midnight.

The IRGC said in a statement the same day that Milad Heidari, an IRGC military adviser, had been killed in the attack, according to Mehr.

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