JERUSALEM (AA) – Israel’s military on Tuesday denied Syrian claims of shooting down an Israeli jet in the southwestern Syrian province of Quneitra.
“Overnight two surface-to-air missiles were launched from Syria after the mission overnight to target Syrian artillery positions,” the Israeli military said in a statement. “At no point was the safety of IDF [Israeli Defense Forces] aircraft compromised.”
The statement followed shortly after claims by the Syrian Defense Ministry saying their “air defenses downed a military jet southwest of Quneitra and a reconnaissance aircraft west of Sasa town.”
Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee announced earlier Tuesday that Israeli forces attacked a Syrian regime military position in central Golan Heights, in response to a shell that had fallen by mistake in the Israeli-held territory.
Last week, Israeli warplanes struck Syrian artillery positions after a shell hit the Israeli side of the Golan Heights.
The Golan Heights was occupied during the 1967 Middle East war and formally annexed by Israel in 1981 in a move that was never recognized internationally.
Since the signing of a 1974 disengagement agreement between Syria and Israel, a cease-fire line has separated the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights from a Syria-administered buffer zone.
The agreement calls on both Syria and Israel to refrain from all military action in the area in line with UN Security Council Resolution 339 of 1973.
*Kaamil Ahmed contributed to this report from Jerusalem
