The Syrian Response: A few hours after the IDF downed a Syrian fighter plane that penetrated Israeli territory, the Syrian army and security forces began an operation to rescue the pilots.

According to a report by the Russian news agency Sputnik, military sources confirmed that one of the pilots was killed during the crash. At this stage, it is not known what happened to the second pilot.

The official Syrian news agency SANA quoted another military source, accusing Israel of deliberately downing the fighter plane. According to that source, the plane was fighting the forces of ISIS and the rebels who were present in the south of the country.

“The Israeli enemy has confirmed its support for the armed terrorists when it downed one of our planes that attacked their bases in the Saida area,” he said. He also denied that the plane crossed the border into Israeli territory, claiming that “the plane operated in the Syrian airspace, over the area of ​​the Yarmuk estuary.”

The IDF said following the incident that the plane was under surveillance and penetrated about two kilometers into Israeli territory before being intercepted, and that the IDF had warned in advance of its intentions in case of infiltration into Israel.

“We have conveyed and are still conveying messages – in several different languages ​​- that we will not allow an exception beyond the buffer zone established in 1974, which Israel insists on maintaining according to the rules set forth at the time,” said IDF Spokesperson Brigadier-General Ronen Manelis.

He said that the IDF conveyed messages to the Syrian regime through intermediaries according to which Israel would not accept any violation of the existing ceasefire agreement.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)