SOHR: Russian army fired S-300 missiles at Israeli fighters over Syria

Russian forces fired advanced S-300 anti-aircraft missiles at Israeli planes as they were returning after attacking Iranian militia sites in northwestern Syria last week, according to a report by Israeli “Channel 13” news, in what may indicate a major shift in Moscow’s position on Israel. .

According to the report, the unprecedented incident occurred last Friday night, when the Israeli Air Force bombed several targets near the city of Masyaf in northwestern Syria.

The report said that “Syrian S-300 batteries opened fire while the Israeli planes were leaving the area,” noting that the system is being operated by the Russian army and cannot be launched without its consent.

He added that “the radar did not succeed in (closing) the Israeli planes, and therefore does not represent a serious threat to the combat planes of the Israeli Air Force.”

If this is confirmed, this will be the first use of the S-300 system against the Israeli Air Force over Syria, and it will be a worrying development for Israel, which has carried out hundreds of air strikes inside Syria, targeting what it says are arms shipments destined for Hezbollah and other linked sites. in Iran.

The Israeli channel stated that it was not immediately clear whether the launch of the S-300 missile was a one-time event or if it was “a Russian signal to Israel that it is changing its policy.”

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that “4 fighters, the nationality of which has not been determined, were killed as a result of the Israeli bombing that targeted Iranian militia sites,” in addition to the injury of 7 other members.

According to the report, the Masyaf area is believed to be used as a base for Iranian forces and pro-Iranian militias, and has been repeatedly targeted in recent years in attacks attributed to Israel. Satellite images taken after the raid showed that an underground facility was completely destroyed.

This comes amid deteriorating relations between Israel and Russia due to the invasion of Ukraine. Israel has tried to walk a fine line between Moscow and Kiev, but has recently become more critical of Russia.

Besides providing Syria with its air defenses, Moscow also maintains the latest S-400 air defense systems to protect its forces in Syria, but it has never targeted Israeli aircraft.

In recent years, Israel and Russia have established a so-called deconfliction “hotline” to prevent the parties from becoming entangled and accidental over Syria.