Israeli Attack Endangers Civilian Aircraft in Damascus

A civilian aircraft flying from Tehran to Damascus narrowly avoided fire from Syria's air defense systems, which were activated in response to an Israeli missile attack on Friday.

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Due to the Israeli strike, the aircraft, an Airbus A320, was unable to land at Damascus Airport and had to divert to Russia’s Khmeimim airbase, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.

The surprise attack, which was made by four Israeli F-16s that fired at least eight air-to-surface missiles, could have had devastating consequences.

If it weren’t for the Damascus air traffic control and its “timely actions”, the plane would have found itself in the crossfire.

Where Israeli strategists misinformed? Russia's Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov assured that Israel is perfectly aware of civilian air activity around Damascus.​​​​​​​

A very common tactic Israel uses during airstrikes against Syria is the use of civilian flights as human shields. In this case, 172 passengers were on board providing cover for an illegal attack against Syria.

That´s why such reckless missions “prove that Israeli strategists could not care less about possible civilian casualties,” Konashenkov added.

And this is not an isolated case. On Dec. 25, 2018, Israeli airstrikes near the Syrian capital endangered two civilian flights attempting to land at the airports of Damascus and Beirut.

Israel, in the past years, has flown hundreds of similar bombing raids on Syria throughout the country’s civil war, claiming to be hitting “legitimate Iranian targets.” informed the Russian Defense Ministry.​​​​​​​