Following a drone infiltration by Syria into Israeli airspace on July 11, the Israeli Air Force targeted three military positions controlled by Syrian President Bashar Assad in the Quneitra region near the border after midnight on Wednesday.
Shortly after 3:15 p.m. earlier that day, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in Moscow to inform Russian President Vladimir Putin of Israel’s demand for an Iranian withdrawal from Syria, an unarmed Syrian drone reportedly entered Israeli airspace from Syria after passing over Jordan. Approximately 16 minutes later, the IDF shot down the UAV over the Kinneret/Sea of Galilee, 6.2 miles inside Israel.
The wait time was apparently due to Israeli concerns that the drone might be operated by Russia, which has flown numerous drones along the Syrian border in support of Assad’s offensive against regime-held provinces in the area. However, during the wait, Israeli scrambled four fighter jets and two attack helicopters to the area.
Syrian state news reported that “aircraft of the Israeli enemy” attacked the three Syrian positions and claimed that Syria’s air defenses blocked the attack.
However, video released by the IDF appeared to show missiles causing large explosions at all three target sites.
Earlier tonight, Wednesday July 11th, the IDF targeted three military posts in Syria in response to the infiltration of the Syrian UAV into Israel that was intercepted by the IDF earlier today pic.twitter.com/BvaEOfHNDv— IDF (@IDFSpokesperson) July 11, 2018
According to reports from anonymous sources on Wednesday, during his meeting with Putin, Netanyahu said Israel would not take action against the Assad regime, if Russia ensured that Iranian forces back out of Syria.
