Contents tagged with Israel

  • Israel threatens Iran with military action if Bab el-Mandeb Strait is blocked

    If Iran attempts to close off the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which serves as the only outlet from the Red Sea, there will be countermeasures taken by an “International Coalition,” asserted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

    “If Iran attempts to block the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, I am certain that it will meet the decisive resistance of an international coalition, which will include all branches of the Israeli armed forces,” Netanyahu said, during a visit to the Israeli naval base at Haifa. …

  • Russia: Iranian forces withdrew from demarcation line in Golan Heights

    The Iranian forces in Syria withdrew from the demarcation line with Israel in the Golan Heights by about 85 km, said the Special Envoy of the Russian President to Syria, Alexander Lavrentiev in an interview with TASS.

    "The Iranians have moved away, and the Shia formations are not there too. Maybe there are some advisers in the Syrian army, but heavy equipment and weapons that could pose a threat to Israel, they have been moved 85 km from the separation line with Israel, " Lavrentiev said.

    " …

  • Russia: Only Syrian troops will be stationed on the border with Israel

    The border with Israel will be controlled exclusively by the Syrian army, says the Russian ambassador to Tel-Aviv Anatoly Viktorov.

    The diplomat discussed agreements reached prior to the movement of Syrian government troops into the southwest of the country. He claimed that both sides agreed that “on the other side of the border there will only be Syrian armed forces.”

    Additionally, he emphasized that Russia’s priority is “maintaining the security of the State of Israel,” adding that “no non- …

  • Russian Defense Ministry: Israel has destroyed ISIS positions in Syria

    An Israeli strike on July 25 in Syria has destroyed ISIS militants and missile launch sites, the Russian Defense Ministry told journalists Thursday.

    According to authorities, at around 9:30 pm Moscow time a group of ISIS militants, “in an attempt to provoke an Israeli attack on Syrian army positions, drew artillery fire from the Israeli forces stationed near the population centers of Nafakh and Al-Shajara (Quneitra province)."

    “A targeted counterattack by Israeli air forces and artillery …

  • Russia protests against Israel’s downing of Syrian aircraft

    Russia has voiced its protest after Israeli forces shot down a Syrian combat aircraft, according to a source from Maariv daily newspaper.

    The publication claims that Israel has provided Russia with proof that the Syrian aircraft crossed the border into Israel.

    On June 24 Israeli forces reported that they shot down a Syrian combat aircraft, allegedly a Su-22 or Su-24. According to Reuters, the aircraft’s pilot was killed. The plane ventured approximately 1.6 km into Israeli airspace. Israel …

  • Media: Israeli air defense failed to intercept Soviet-made missiles

    The Israeli missile defense system David’s sling could not intercept two missiles from Soviet tactical system Tochka fired from Syria on Monday, July 23, reports Ynet news outlet, without specifying a source of information.

    According to Ynet, this was the first use of David’s sling. The Ministry of Defense and the Israeli air force are investigating the incident. According to preliminary data, human error was not the cause of failure by the defense system in bringing the targets down.

    The …

  • Israel shoots down Syrian aircraft

    The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have destroyed a Syrian combat aircraft using the Patriot anti-aircraft missile system. The Israeli army reported that a Sukhoi fighter jet was intercepted and a missile was fired at it. The fact that the targeted aircraft was actually downed was not reported by Israeli forces. The Syrian Ministry of Defense has confirmed the loss of the Su-22 aircraft. According to some reports, the pilot survived but was captured by ISIL militants. Social media users indicate …

  • Netanyahu to Lavrov: we want Iran out of Syria

    During talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Russian Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel is interested in the complete withdrawal of Iranian forces from Syria, reported TASS citing a source in the Israeli government, who also claimed that the prime minister did not reject any offers from Russia during the meeting in Jerusalem on Monday.

    “Israel is interested in a complete withdrawal of Iranian forces from Syria, …

  • Israel rejects Russian idea for a buffer zone in the Golan Heights

    Israeli authorities have rejected the Russian proposal to create a 100-kilometer zone at the borderline between Israel and Syria, into which Iranian troops would not be allowed. This proposal was offered on Monday, July 23, during negotiations between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a Russian delegation led by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Jerusalem.

    In response to Lavrov, Netanyahu said that Israel would not allow Iranian forces, fighting on the side of Syrian dictator …

  • Israel’s warplanes strike Syrian weapons factory

    The Israeli Air Force struck a military target near the city of Masyaf, Hama province, reported the Syrian state agency SANA with reference to a military source.

    According to other Syrian sources, the  target of the air strike was the Center for Scientific Research near Masyaf that has been transformed since the summer of 2015 into the development center for Fateh-110 ballistic missiles of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.

    There are reportedly a number of dead and wounded in the ranks of the …