Israeli Air Force Launches Airstrike on Positions in Syria's Occupied Golan

Rasa - The Israeli warplanes attacked several positions in the occupied Galan Heights in the Southern province of Quneitra, a Lebanon-based media outlet reported on Wednesday.

News ID: 432563

Date: 20 September 2017 - 19:29

RNA - The English-language Daily Star reported that the Israeli fighter jets targeted a number of areas in Quneitra province near the border with Israeli-controlled Palestinian territories.

The attack came after an Israeli Patriot missile allegedly intercepted and shot down an unmanned aerial vehicle purportedly operated by the Lebanese Hezbollah resistance movement in the region.

Earlier, the Israeli media outlets claimed that Israel's military forces had struck a reconnaissance drone as soon as it had entered the skies over the occupied Golan Heights.

Israeli Military Spokesman Brigadier General Ronen Manelis claimed that the Hezbollah-operated drone took off from Damascus International Airport.

In relevant developments in June the Israeli air force targeted the Syrian troops' artillery unit in Eastern Samadaniyeh in the outskirts of Quneitra city.

Reports said that the artillery fire played a major role in pushing the terrorists back from the region.

A prominent Syrian military and strategic expert described Israel as an accomplice of the terrorists in Syria, warning that Tel Aviv intends to create a buffer zone in the Arab country.

Yahya Soleiman said that by attacking the Syrian army positions in the Golan Heights, Israel sent this message that it would never leave the terrorist groups and would defend them to the end.

"There are decisive ties between Israel and terrorists to set up a buffer zone in the Golan like Antoine Lahad region in Southern Lebanon - whose creation plot failed - and this time the situation would be repeated in Syria," he added.

"Whatever happens in Syria is in line with meeting Israel's interests, destroying Syria and weakening the powers standing beside Damascus," Soleiman said.

Noting that Tel Aviv was well aware of the positions of the terrorists' missile launch pads and knows that none of them was due to hit Israel, he said the regime was seeking to find a pretext to provoke the militants to target the Syrian army forces and this happened several times.

"The Israeli side has violated the ceasefire plan and kicked out the UN forces to move freely beside the terrorists. We witness how the Israeli convoys move along the borders and transfer the terrorists from Syria to the occupied territories," Soleiman said.

Stressing that Russia knew the realities in Syria, he said Moscow tried to force the American side to participate in the peace process in Syria but the US led all efforts to failure.

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