"Russian planes have violated Israeli airspace several times, but we have solved it through the communication channels established between the two countries". This is what Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon said this morning in an interview with Radio Israel.
“We have always eliminated threats. Last year we shot down a Sukhoi-24 Syrian entered our airspace. A short time later we also shot down one of their drones. When we sensed the imminent Russian deployment in Syria, we met with Putin and created a coordination channel to avoid unpleasant misunderstandings. Even though our fighters are always flying, we don't shoot down anyone by mistake. A Russian aircraft, a few weeks ago, violated our airspace by one mile. We immediately contacted him (our fighters were already on an interception course) and the pilot returned to Syrian territory. It is not the first time, but we have solved it thanks to the coordination between Israel and Russia that started two months ago. We do not hinder them when they approach our territory, but they too do not intervene when our fighters act to protect the interests of the nation ”.
Israel allegedly attacked positions in Syria on several occasions, mainly targeting the arms shipments of the Hezbollah in Lebanon. During his meeting with Putin last September, Netanyahu bluntly stated that Israel would not tolerate Tehran's efforts to arm Israel's enemies in the region and that Jerusalem would take action against such attempts.
(photo: Israeli Air Force)
