(Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs) Yoni Ben Menachem - Russia responded angrily to the Israeli air force attack in the Damascus region that took place on December 25, 2018. The Russians are trying to set new rules of the game for Israel in Syrian airspace. Israel has no intention of ending its attacks in Syria, which are intended to prevent Iranian military entrenchment in that country. While the Iranians are determined to transfer "game-changing" weapons to Hizbullah to improve the accuracy of rockets that they possess, Israel has no choice but to protect its security interests. While Russia claimed that Israeli air force planes endangered civilian flights, Israeli pilots are very cautious and are among the best in the world. Every Israeli aerial operation is painstakingly planned in order to prevent mistakes. In fact, the Syrian aerial defense system is what is endangering civilian aviation because it is not professional enough. It even accidentally brought down a Russian spy plane in September 2018. The writer, a veteran Arab affairs and diplomatic commentator for Israel Radio and Television, is a senior Middle East analyst for the Jerusalem Center.
2018-12-28 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive