The Israel Defense Forces launched two Patriot missiles on Tuesday afternoon, downing a Syrian Air Force Sukhoi Su-22/24 Russian-made fighter jet that had infiltrated about one mile into Israeli airspace.
According to the IDF spokesman, the jet fell in Syria. The pilot or pilot’s whereabouts remain unknown.
The IDF statement on the incident says, “The Syrian Air Force Sukhoi Su-22/24 departed from the T-4 Airbase in Syria and then flew towards Israel at a high speed. This happened after hours of increased internal fighting in Syria and increased Syrian Air Force activity.”
Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, head of the International and Social Media Branch of the IDF, added that “we issued warnings and messages through different channels, in various languages, numerous times over the day to avoid any misunderstandings or any violations of Israeli airspace. We have continued to deliver messages through various channels, including through the U.N., UNDOF, and we will not tolerate any violation of the 1974 Separation of Forces Agreement. We hold the Syrian Regime accountable for any such violations coming from the Syrian side.”
In two separate incidents earlier this month, the IDF was forced to launch Patriot missiles in order to shoot down Syrian UAVs that entered or neared Israeli airspace.