Latest Israeli Air Strikes May Escalate if Iranian Involvement in Region Grows.
Israeli combat aircraft secretly pounded targets in the Hisya area of Syria south of the city of Homs on Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2017. The air raid, the latest in a long series of Israeli air strikes in the region, targeted a “storage facility in an industrial complex” according to the pro-Syrian government media outlet Masdar News. The Israeli military has declined to comment on this, most recent, in a series of airstrikes. Israel’s Channel 10 news outlet said no aircraft were hit during the strike and all Israeli planes returned safely to base.
Although unconfirmed, at least one media outlet suggested the facility may have been used to house chemical weapons.
The most recent Israeli airstrikes continue an escalating series of attacks launched by Israel into Syria. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have occasionally tweeted that some of the air strikes are in response to provocative actions on the part of terrorist groups in the region. Israel has remained silent about some of the airstrikes.
Among the most recent incidents:
- On September 7, 2017, Israeli aircraft struck Syria’s Masyaf chemical site in response to intelligence suggesting chemical weapons may be produced or stored there. An unspecified international monitoring organization quoted in a BBC report said the target was a scientific research center storing surface-to-surface missiles. The Israelis issued no official statement about the incident.
- On September 18, 2017, an Israeli MIM-104D Patriot missile engaged and shot down a “Hezbollah intelligence gathering drone” according to media reports. Israel Defense Forces (IDF) tweeted that Monday that, “A short while ago, the IDF intercepted a UAV that attempted to infiltrate Israeli airspace in the Golan Heights”. Media outlet Fox News reported that the drone shot down was an Iranian-made reconnaissance drone that launched from an air base in Syria. The report said it was believed to be operated by Hezbollah militants. The drone, which did not infiltrate Israeli territory, fell in the demilitarized zone (DMZ) between Israel and Syria in the Golan Heights.
- On October 16, 2017, Israeli combat jets struck and destroyed a Syrian anti-aircraft missile battery east of Damascus, Syria. The Israeli airstrike was in response to anti-aircraft fire against one of its aircraft in Lebanese air space performing a photographic reconnaissance mission according to the Israelis.
- On October 21, 2017, Israeli aircraft launched precision strikes against artillery emplacements in Syria. Israeli reports posted on Twitter said three enemy artillery emplacements were destroyed.
The Israeli Air Force, and in particular its F-16 units, have earned a reputation as being highly effective. Some sources suggest they may be, “Man for man, the best air force in the world”.
A May 2001 report in Jane’s Defense quoted on the IsraelMilitary.net news forum said, “U.S. Marine Corps F/A-18 Hornets from the Balkans theater recently engaged in mock combat with Israeli Air Force fighters. The Hornets were armed with AIM-9 (Sidewinder air-to-air missiles) and the Israelis carried Python 3 and Python 4 missiles using the Elbit DASH helmet mounted sight. IDR’s source described the results as ‘more than ugly’, the Israelis prevailing in 220 of the 240 engagements”
Noteworthy, after most of the recent air strikes there have been speculations that the first, brand new F-35I “Adir” might have been involved in the raids: in particular, after the Oct. 16 attack on a Syrian SAM battery, there were unconfirmed reports that an IAF F-35 was hit by the Syrian air defenses because on the very same day the IDF announced an “Adir” had been grounded following a birdstrike.
Top image credit: Tomas Del Coro/Wiki
Assuming the raid was really conducted by F-16’s that’s really telling about the performance of Russian hardware. There’s a lot going on here. Assuming the Russians are trying. It says that F-16’s can not only get in, but avoid detection to the point where the SAM systems don’t have to be taken out. Think about it, if the Russian SAMs were more capable they would have to be taken out in order to make way for the Falcons. Yet no batteries were reported lost. The ability to avoid detection and operate deep behind enemy lines is a capability advertised by the F-35. So the sequence events, and the fact that no Russian SAM sites were suppressed by enemy fire might be indicative that we are looking at the result of an F-35 strike. Either way this is good news for the West, it’s good to see American hardware still living up to what the advertisements say.
If S-300 and S-400 can’t stop fourth generation Israeli plans from hitting targets at will repeatedly in a country as small as Syria….they don’t have a snowballs chance in hell against US fifth gen aircraft
S300/400 will be blinded by U.S. or Israeli ECM. We know the systems well and can even take control of and re-direct the missiles if we so desire. As far as F-22, F-35 or B-2 is concerned, Russian systems can’t see them. And what you can’t see, you can’t hit.
Basically Russian SAMs would be useless in a war against the U.S. or NATO. They may as well be firing off bottle rockets! Everything I’ve told you is fact, and the Russian military goes to great lengths to hide these deficiencies.
Anyone buying Russian missile systems hoping to fend off a U.S. or Israeli attack are, as we have seen demonstrated here, simply wasting their money. Our missiles, on the other hand, can shoot Russian fighters out of the sky without any impedance whatsoever. The U.S., Israel and NATO have full spectrum dominance technological superiority, and we have had it for a very long time.
Of course, but is illegal to fire on Syria from Lebanon.
Says who?
Isn’t it illegal for terrorists to attack Israel from Lebanon? Palestine? Gaza?
International law doesn’t mean much to you, does it? But whom am I asking…
You can attack targets in one country while not leaving the airspace of another. With weapons like the AGM-154. In doing so, Israel is breaking international law and attacking a sovereign country. If Russia isn’t firing a missile on the planes in Lebanon’s airspace, then it’s following international law. Imagine if Russia had done that. Then our media would be like “Russia violates Lebanon’s airspace” (maybe not so polite).
And yes, attacks on Israel are just as illegal.
Why do you assume they are flying over Lebanon?
If they did, don’t you think Lebanon would be throwing major temper tantrums at the UN?
Have you even made the attempt of finding news about that on Google? Took me 10 seconds.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-lebanon-israel-un/lebanon-to-complain-to-u-n-over-israel-violating-airspace-idUSKCN1BM0X6
The distance from the Lebanese border to a target in Homs is too great for a dropped bomb or even a maverick.
It’s not. The AGM-142 can be used for such an attack.
And why no one found a single Israeli missile sharpnel? We know the Russians and Syrians would love the propaganda points!
I know that Russia would love to boast being able to detect the F-35, especially Russia Today and Sputnik. They would probably jerk off so much on the idea of being able to detect it that we would have heard about it by now.
Russia could also boast being able to detect the F-16.
But for sure, Russian equipment SUPER STRONK, SUPER AMAZERS!