The Israeli military shot down a Syrian fighter jet that infiltrated its airspace over the Golan Heights on Tuesday morning. The first such downing in decades, heightening tensions in the volatile plateau. The Israeli military said on its blog, “This morning, a Syrian aircraft was identified while attempting to infiltrate Israeli airspace in the Golan Heights. The Israel Air Force retaliated by firing a Patriot anti-aircraft missile. The Syrian plane was successfully hit. This is a continuation of the growing tension this border has experienced in recent months.” A defense official identified the downed aircraft as a Sukhoi Su-24 Russian fighter plane. Previously it was reported to have been a MiG aircraft. The Syrian jet penetrated 2,600 feet into Israeli air space, and tried to return to Syria after the Patriot missile was fired. Lt. Col. Peter Lerner, spokesman for the Israeli Defense Forces, says the IDF will not allow foreign entities to infiltrate Israeli airspace.
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