Syrian Air Defense Downs zionist regime Drone over Western Damascus

SANA reported that the air defense units countered an enemy flying object in Deir al-Ashayer region in Western Damascus near the border with Lebanon on Friday midnight.

In the meantime, the Arabic-language website of Sputnik quoted a field sources as reporting that the air defense units fired two missiles at an Israeli spying drone after it crossed into Syria via Lebanon’s borders, downing the drone in Deir al-Ashayer region in Western Damascus.

In April, Russia and Syria said that Israeli warplanes struck an air base in Homs and that Syrian air defense systems shot down five of eight missiles fired.

The Russian Defense Ministry said that two Israeli warplanes attacked the Syrian government T4 airbase in Homs province earlier in the day.

“On April 9, from 03:25 to 03:53 Moscow time, two Israeli Air Force F-15 jets, carried out an airstrike by two guided missiles on the T-4 airfield from the Lebanese territory and without entering Syria’s airspace,” the Russian ministry said.

According to the Russian military, the strikes were carried out from Lebanese airspace.

Five out of eight strikes, carried out by the Israeli F-15 jets, were destroyed by Syrian air defenses, the ministry said.

“Three missiles reached the Western part of the airfield. There were no Russian [military] advisers among those injured.”

While the Israeli authorities abstained so far to comment on the incident, the country’s Air Force had bombed the same airbase in the Homs province back in February.

When asked by Sputnik, the Israeli Embassy in Russia refused to comment on the Russian Defense Ministry’s data about the strikes on the Syrian T-4 airbase. “No comments,” diplomatic mission’s press attache Alex Gandler told Sputnik.

The Israeli Defense Forces also refused to either approve or deny the statements made by the Russian Defense Ministry about the Israeli Air Force’s involvement in the strikes, with IDF Spokesman Jonathan Conricus telling Sputnik, “We do not comment on this.”

Russian defense and foreign ministries have requested Israel to provide explanations for its airstrikes on the Syrian military facility, Russian Senator and former FSB general Vladimir Jabarov said.

At the same time, Al-Mayadeen TV channel reported that an Israeli spy plane had been spotted over the base at the moment of the April 9 strike.

Also, Syria’s SANA state news agency reported a missile strike on the T-4 airbase at the time, suggesting that the US might be behind the attack. The Pentagon, however, denied any involvement, saying that it had not conducted any airstrikes in Syria. It was also stated that Syrian Air Defense Force managed to intercept several rockets, although the strike caused casualties.

According to Al Mayadeen broadcaster, after the attack, the ISIL terrorists attempted to launch an offensive in several regions in Homs province.

The April attack came just a day after the US, the EU, as well as NATO member Turkey, accused the Syrian government of using chemical weapons in Douma, Eastern Ghouta, after media reports, citing militant sources on the ground, about an alleged chlorine gas attack that, supposedly, killed dozens of civilians, had emerged.

Damascus strongly denied the claims, saying that it had warned that militants in the area had been preparing a provocation, involving chemical weapons’ use.