On February 10, the Syrian Air Defense Forces (SADF) shot down an F-16I fighter jet of the Israeli Air Force (IAF) during Israeli airstrikes on targets near Damascus and the T4 Airbase.
According to the Israeli side, an Iranian unmanned aerial vehicle violated Israeli airspace at 4:15 local time. The UAV was intercepted near Beit Shean by an IAF attack helicopter. At 5:34 IAF warplanes carried out airstrikes on what the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) described as an Iranian UAV control vehicle at the T4 airbase, near the ancient city of Palmyra. The SADF responded by launching anti-aircraft missiles at Israeli warplanes and thus shooting down the F-16I fighter jet, which crashed in Israel at 6:00. The F-16I’s pilots ejected. One was severely wounded.
According to media reports, at least one F-15 was also damaged in the encounter, but landed at its airbase. The SADF reportedly used S-200 and Buk missiles. However, this has not yet been officially confirmed.
At 8:45 the IAF conducted a series of airstrikes on the Al-Kiswah area near Damascus. The IDF said that that the airstrikes targeted “Syrian aerial defense array and additional Iranian targets”. The SADF reportedly downed most of the Israeli missiles and launched more anti-aircraft missiles at IAF warplanes. No hits were reportedly achieved.
The IDF claims that it had targeted 12 military targets, including 3 aerial defense batteries and 4 Iranian targets. Brig. Gen. Amnon Ein Dar, Head of the Air Group in the IAF described it as “the biggest and most significant attack the air force has carried out against Syrian air defenses since 1982.”
The IDF also blamed Syria and Iran for the escalation.
“The Syrians and the Iranians, from our point of view, are playing with fire. The Syrians are playing with fire when they allow the Iranians to attack Israel from their soil. We are willing, prepared, and capable to exact a heavy price on anyone that attacks us. However, we are not looking to escalate the situation,” Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, Head of the International Media Desk of the Israeli Defense Forces, said.
The Pentagon and the US State Department officially confirmed US support for the Israeli actions in Syria.
“Israel is our closest security partner in the region and we fully support Israel’s inherent right to defend itself against threats to its territory and its people,” Pentagon Spokesman Maj. Rankine-Galloway said.
The Russian Foreign Ministry objected to the violation of Syrian sovereignty by Israel and said that it is “unacceptable to create threats to the lives and security of Russian servicemen who are in Syria at the invitation of its legitimate government to assist in the fight against terrorists.”
Lebanese Hezbollah said that the February 10 encounter marked the “start of a new strategic phase” in the conflict that will limit Israeli interventions into Syrian airspace.
Later media reports appeared that Israel was working with the Russians to de-escalate the situation indicating that the declared Israeli military success was in fact a bit smaller than the IDF wanted to show.
On February 12, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and its allies continued operations to secure their recent gains in northeastern Hama and southern Idlib and launched an effort to eliminate the remaining ISIS terrorists that are currently deployed in the province of Idlib.
Separately, reports appeared that the Tiger Forces are redeploying their units to participate in the anti-ISIS security operation in the Homs desert. About 500 ISIS terrorists are reportedly hiding there.
On February 11, the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) and the Free Syrian Army (FSA) captured the villages of Hec Iskendere and Saranjik from Kurdish YPG/YPJ forces in the Afrin area. On February 10, according to the TAF, 11 Turkish soldiers were killed, 11 others were injured and a T129 ATAK attack helicopter was destroyed. Separately, pro-Kurdish sources claim that 23 FSA members were also killed and a battle tank, a bulldozer and an armoured vehicle were destroyed.
The TAF and the FSA are steadily developing momentum in Afrin but continue to suffer significant casualties.
Clip from veteranstoday, posted by Harry on today’s SyrPer: HarryG
“…the Israeli airstrikes on Syria were a complete failure where no targets were hit and the Israeli planes failed to breach the Syrian air defences, rather, they flew straight into a hail of fire and dropped their bombs so they could make a run for the safety of Israeli airspace much faster without the encumbrance of heavy weapons loads.
The official line has the Israelis hitting a dozen targets and destroying Iranian and Syrian assets, all a lie…”
https://www.veteranstoday.com/2018/02/11/vt-was-right-israeli-airstrikes-were-complete-failure/
Yes, I read that also. During the initial attack, an F-16 was shot down and at least one F-15 was damaged. It would appear that one Apache helicopter was also shot down.
Israel retaliated with a new air strike. It claimed to be a success. However, according to the website Veterans Today, the strike was aborted after the aircraft were met with AA missiles. It would appear that Israeli electronics did not succeed in jamming the Syrian radars. The opposite happened. Syrian and Russian radar are interconnected. It would also appear that Russia used the Khirbiny jamming system on Israeli radars, forcing the Israelis to abort the mission.
Since both Israel and the US Air Force use identical electronics, then this is indeed bad news for NATO. I also read that Trump was briefed about the Israeli failure.
I think this is good news. Trump and the Pentagon have been warned. After this it would be unwise for any additional military adventures.
That reminds me of something… Oh yes, here it is. Not many people know that the USA lost over 10,000 aircraft and helicopters in Vietnam.
“Rex Rivolo, the fighter pilot whose high-tech navigation aid had led him to bomb the American base at Da Nang, was assigned to fly escort on the first raid, December 18, 1972.
“’I wasn’t worried,’ he told me years later. ‘We were briefed that the B-52s would be using their most secret ‘war mode’ electronic countermeasures, previously reserved for WWIII with the Soviets, that would easily blind the Vietnamese SAM missiles. I knew the countermeasures in my plane didn’t work, but I believed the B-52s had secret, magic stuff that would make them invulnerable. So I thought everything would be OK. That was until three SAMs flew right by me and hit a B-52 high above. The magic boxes didn’t work’. Rivolo watched in amazement as the giant plane cracked open ‘like an egg’ and slowly turned over. Burning jet fuel streamed out in a wave that split into two and then four in vast cascading sheets of flame. ‘The sky,’ he told me, recalling the vivid scene in every detail after forty years, ‘was raining fire’. Fourteen more B-52s were to go down before the raids were called off eleven days later. By that time, Rivolo’s previously unquestioning faith in the promises of the technologists had disappeared forever. ‘I had really believed all that hype,’ he told me. ‘And then I realized it was all bullshit. None of it worked’. That searing moment of truth would cause a lot of trouble in Washington later on”.
“KILL CHAIN: THE RISE OF THE HIGH-TECH ASSASSINS” by Andrew Cockburn
I read somewhere that the US lost 5.000 choppers in Vietnam, but I didn’t know that the combined losses for planes and choppers was that high. You might be interested to know that in the Korean War of 1950-1953, the US lost more planes than it dared admit. Some 800 planes were classified as crash landing and not being shot down in combat. It would appear that Uncle Sam is not very honest when it comes to losses.
I was expecting an analysis on this highly significant event. Lots of excitement these days. Syria is looking strong.
It’a music to my ears to hear that finally the big bully in the mid east finally got a bloody nose. i would even pray
the zionists make more attacks and get more bloody noses!
If this remarkably humble article in Israeli Ynet is any indication, the downing of a massively upgraded F-16 by Syria has changed the thinking in the upper echelons of the IDF:
” We are facing an experienced and intelligent opponent. This was not an attack on rebel forces or on ISIS. It is a large, experienced army supported by two superpowers, Russia and Iran.”
https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5106424,00.html
On February 10, 2018 – Israeli army shoot down an Iranian drone
https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/idf-drone-allowed-to-cross-into-israel-to-prove-iranian-aggression-1.5807209
On February 12, 2018 – Israeli army captured an Iranian drone
https://sputniknews.com/military/201802121061593025-alleged-iranian-drone-israel-copy/
According to the Russian military, al-Nusra Front terrorist goup brought more than 20
containers with chlorine to a village in Idlib.
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201802131061612872-al-nusra-front-white-helmets-chemical-weapons-russia-syria/
Tiger Forces reassigned to East Ghouta. Writes:
“I am thrilled with this decision, this is by far the most strategic area in Syria to be cleaned from terrorists, a lot of them in fact. Syria’s enemies need East Ghouta presence as a “knife of Damascus throat”, a permanent way to hit the central Government and millions of displaced Syrians that came from all over Syria to be shielded from foreign terror. May the Tiger Force clear this threat form Damascus, it will be a fundamental victory, as Aleppo and Deir ez Zour.
Lets follow closely the next news of the Tiger Forces, if they will send their full force there or split as they did in few ops previously. Where the Tiger Forces go is where the main battles in Syria are.
As of now the battle fronts are:
1) Idlib – frozen for now
2) Northern Hama – frozen for now
3) Southern Syria – frozen for now
4) Northern Homs – 24 hrs for the terrorists inside the pocket to decided complete reconciliation or war. Need to be followed closely, M5 road and Homs city safety at stake here.
5) Homs desert(west of Euphrates) – will be activated this weekend or so.
6) East Ghouta – Tiger Forces re deployment, and when it happens it is to the end. “