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Russian S-300 Fired Israeli Fighter Jets in Syria – Media

May 18 2022 at 02:45 pm | Kostiantyn Golubtsov

The shooting on Israel's jets by Russia's S-300 air-defense system was described as a "unprecedented occurrence." Russian military in Syria have opened fire on Israeli jets hitting the southwestern Syrian town of Masyaf.

According to all Israeli media agencies that carried the news, citing a news release, the case has already been regarded as a "unique incident" that could indicate a "major change in Moscow-Jerusalem relations."

This event occurred last Friday, but information about it was just recently provided to the media through its own sources.

To oppose the air strike, the Syrian army initially launched "dozens of anti-aircraft missiles" from antiquated systems. However, they were unable to prevent the Israeli jets from destroying the targets they had placed. As the jets were leaving the area, the S-300 batteries began fire.

This photo released by ImageSat International on May 15, 2022, shows sites allegedly struck by Israel in the Masyaf region of Syria / Photo credit: ImageSat International

According to all sources, Russia's SAM radars were unable to capture Israeli aircraft, hence the launches posed no threat to Israeli air force pilots.

It is stressed that, while Russia may nominally give over the S-300 to the Syrian army, it is well understood that they are operated by the Russian military and that the decision to launch is also taken by the Russian military.

russia's S300 / Illustrative photo from open sources

Interestingly, official Israel did not define the reason for the S-300 radar's failure to capture Israeli aircraft: either suppression of the complex by electronic warfare, technical impossibility of the complex itself, or operator error. It should be noted that the Israel Defense Forces almost never remark on their actions in Syria, so this information cannot be validated.

It should be noted that Masyaf is 50 kilometers from the air base Hmeimim and a comparable distance from the Russian army's naval base at Tartus. As a result, involving the S-300 from local facilities is quite likely.

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