(February 8)An Airbus 320 passenger jet with 172 passengers aboard was almost shot down over the Syrian capital Damascus on Thursday morning. Syrian missile defense systems were activated to respond to an incoming Israeli attack on the Damascus airport.
Israeli actions may be deliberate
Russian Defense Ministry officials said they do not think the incident was coincidental but that the Israeli military is deliberately using civilian passenger planes as cover while they are attacking targets in Syria as reported by Sputnik: "Russian MOD spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said the Israeli jets effectively hid behind the radar signal of an Airbus A-320 as it approached Damascus international airport in order to launch air strikes on targets near the Syrian capital." Israeli F-16 fighter jets fired air-to-surface missiles at targets near the airport according to Konashenkov.
Israel could consider this a win-win strategy. Either Syria allows the Israelis to strike with impunity or it risks accidentally shooting down a civilian airliner leading to international condemnation.
Airbus plane escorted out of the area
The plane was safely escorted out of the area and landed in a base further west Hmeimim which is used by Russian planes.
Notice that there seems to be no attempt by the Russians to send planes to intercept the Israeli jets. Syrian State media confirmed that they had intercepted a number of Israeli missiles. The Syrian media did not appear to report on the near shoot-down of the Iranian Airbus.
Israel has not commented on their attack but one monitor claims that 23 people were believed killed on the ground.
An earlier decoy complaint
In September 2018 Russia accused Israel of intentionally placing a Russian reconnaissance IL-20 plane in danger with the result it was shot down by Syrian defenses who mistook it for an Israeli F-16 several of which were attacking Syrian territory with missiles at the time. Fifteen crew members on the plane were killed. A news report on CNN is on the appended video.
Israel denied it was using the Russian reconnaissance plane as a decoy. Israel said it was the incompetence of Syrian defense personnel that was responsible for the downing of the plane.
Israeli has carried out hundreds of air strikes on Syria
Israel usually neither confirms nor denies specific air strikes on Syria although according to at least one source Israeli commanders have admitted to hundreds over the last couple of years. Western mainstream media and western officials virtually never condemn the raids although it should be obvious that they are against international law. No doubt if pressed the Israelis would point out that the targets are Iranians or others who are a threat to Israeli security. This is a pitiful attempt at the use of a self-defense justification. However, as with the US, Israel feels that any attack that they claim is in the interests of national security is justified. The mainstream media is unlikely to question this unless the action were by some country such as North Korea, Cuba, Russia, or China. Over time, the general public view is that Israeli attacks are just a normal everyday occurrence.
Previously published in the Digital Journal
No comments:
Post a Comment