Alwaght- Israeli regime targeted a Syrian fighter jet that was conducting airstrikes against militants' positions near Israeli-occupied occupied Golan Heights.
Israeli army spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Jonathan Conricus told reporters the regime's forces has shot down a Sukhoi Su-24 or an Su-22 [modification of the Su-17 model], belonging to the Syrian Air Force by launching two surface-to-air Patriot missiles.
"It was shot down and it crashed. We do not have any information so far about the pilots. I do not know of any reports of parachutes being spotted, and we do not know if any pilots have been retrieved," he stated.
Addressing the incident, Syrian state media has confirmed that Israel targeted the warplane, insisting that the jet was conducting operations inside Syrian airspace over the country's south.
“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 official news agency SANA quoted an unnamed Syrian military source as saying on Tuesday.
Israel has been on high alert in recent days as Syrian government forces advance against foreign-backed terrorists near the Golan Heights.
Tel Aviv has frequently attacked military targets inside Syria in an attempt to prop up terrorist groups that have been suffering defeats at the hands of Syrian government forces.
On July 16, Syrian army took control of a strategic hill overlooking the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
Syria’s state television said the army had liberated al-Harah hill in the second day of a major offensive to seize the remaining militant-held parts of southwestern provinces.
SANA, citing a military source, said the army had captured a string of villages, including al-Tiha and Zimrin.
The so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) also confirmed that Damascus government units had made a "quick advance" against militants in the western part of Dara’a.
"Syrian … forces captured the town of al-Harah, as well as Samlin, al-Tiha and Zimrin," media outlets quoted observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman as saying.
He said the government troops had ousted militants from al-Tiha in a military advance, while armed groups in al-Harah had agreed to a surrender deal.
