UPDATE 2: According to photos appeared online, one pilot died. (18+ PHOTO) The fate of the second pilot is unknown.
UPDATE: According to Israel:
- the Syrian warplane took off from the T4 airbase;
- the warplane was warned several times by Israeli forces before being shot down;
- the pilot was not able to eject.
***
On July 24, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) launched two Patriot missiles at a Sukhoi warplane of the Syrian Air Force, which allegedly entered airspace over the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
#BREAKING: #Israel launches 2 #Patriot missile over #Golan Heights against a #Syrian fighter jet; The fighter jet has been intercepted, pic.twitter.com/CHbso9LPSW
— Warfare Analysis (Shahroz)™ (@NatsecPack) 24 July 2018
According to the existing info, the Syrian warplane was downed.
Since this morning, there has been an increase in the internal fighting in Syria and the Syrian Air Force’s activity. The IDF is in high alert and will continue to operate against the violation of the 1974 Separation of Forces Agreement.
— IDF (@IDFSpokesperson) 24 July 2018
The Syrian state-media confirmed that the warplane was downed. It added that the warplane was supporting a military operation against ISIS in the area east of the Golan Heights.
“The Israeli enemy confirms its support for the armed terrorist groups and targets one of our warplanes, which was striking their groups in the area of Saida on the edge of the Yarmouk Valley in Syrian airspace,” Syria’s SANA news agency reported a military source.
The Syrian Defense Ministry also confirmed the incident. It said that the downed warplane was a Su-22 and that the pilot was likely captured by militants.
