Tension in the North : Syrian airplanes
Syrian Planes Approach Golan, Israeli Air Force Heads North
Tense moments unfolded this morning (Friday) in the Golan Heights, as Syrian aircraft approached the northern border with Israel in a suspicious fashion, and as a result the Israeli Air Force was ordered to report to the north. In the end, there was no contact between the Air Force and the Syrian planes, which seemed to be on a mission to deliver supplies to a base in southern Syria.
Today (Friday), it seems that similar messages were not received by senior Israeli military officials, and as a result the Air Force was sent out in full force to defend the northern border in the Golan.
Israeli Air Force heads north, archived. Photo Credit: Reuters/ Channel 2
Drama this morning (Friday) on Israel’s northern border: Syrian aircraft suspiciously approached the border between the two countries in the Golan Heights, resulting in a flux of Air Force troops to the area. The Syrian planes were attacking rebel strongholds in the area of Tel Qudna, near Paras, however no contact was made between the forces, but the IDF is stepping up its preparedness in light of this week’s events.
According to the picture on the other side of the Syrian border, only two areas in the south remain under the control of the Syrian army and Assad’s regime — the Tel Qudna and the Quneitra areas, including the road that leads from Quneitra to Damascus. This route is of great strategic importance to the Syrian military.
In the past weeks, due to the increased fighting between Assad’s armies and the rebel forces, the regime fighters have made an effort to concentrate their forces in the area, in order to prevent Tel Qunda from slipping out of their grip, one of the last districts in the area that are under rebel control, and the location of an important military facility.
Due to the rebel siege over the area, the army sent down parachutes of supplies to the soldiers trapped in Tel Qudna. Because the area is very close with the Israeli border, the Syrians passed a message through the United Nations that their planes will be drawing close to the border and that their mission is not to attack or threaten Israel, in order to fend off an Israeli defense attempt.