Rumors of a Russian S-300 air defense system shooting down an Israeli fighter jet over Syria in May have been confirmed, as the Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz has made statements about the incident.
Specifically, during flights over Syria, Israeli fighters were targeted in May by an S-300 operated by Russian forces. The anti-aircraft system fired a shot against the Israeli fighter (it is not specified how many aircraft were in the area) which missed.
Statements by Benny Gantz
During statements yesterday, the Israeli Ministry of Defense described the incident as an “isolated incident” and said that at the time the S-300 fired, the Israeli fighter jets had already left the area, as a result of which it did not find a target.
What remains to be seen is whether it really is an “isolated incident” or whether it showcases the gradual deterioration of relations between Russia and Israel that will lead to a change of attitude regarding the flights of Israeli fighters over Syria in the future.
We remind you that Russia and Syria several times turn a blind eye to Israeli bombings against Iranian targets in Syria.
Syria seems to have informally accepted this as efforts to intercept Israeli fighters have resulted in a heavy blood toll for Syrian forces.
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