"According to our preliminary, I emphasize, preliminary estimates, about 50 percent of the Syrian Air Defense Forces were destroyed. We will once again verify these estimates," the source said.
On February 10, the Israeli army said its helicopter intercepted what it called an Iranian drone launched from Syria and that the Israeli Air Force (IAF) struck Iranian targets in Syria. The Israeli moves prompted a response fire from the Syrian air defense systems. The Syrian air defenses have managed to strike several aircraft and triggered air raid sirens. An Israeli F-16 jet crashed in northern Israel, with its two pilots managing to eject of the plane.
READ MORE: Syria Air Defenses Intercept Israeli Spy Planes — Reports
Chief of Staff of the Israeli Air Force Tomer Bar has said that Israel’s operation was the biggest confrontation with the Syrian Air Defense Forces since the 1982 Lebanon War.
Amid the spike in tensions, the Russian Foreign Ministry has called on the international community to respect Syria’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, urging both Israel and Syria to exercise restraint and avoid aggravation of the situation.
Israel and Syria have a long history of conflicts over the disputed Golan Heights. The countries that have never signed a peace treaty have repeatedly exchanged fire, with the latest incident occurring in January. At the time, the Damascus forces prevented three Israeli missile attacks. The Syrian authorities accused Israel of cooperating with terrorist groups, adding Tel Aviv "posed a threat to global security and peace on par with Daesh and Jabhat al-Nusra."