Syrian Air Defences Down 'Hostile Targets' Over Country's South - Reports

Syrian air defences have downed several "hostile targets" over the country's southern region, Syrian news agency SANA reported. A Syrian security source reported that the air defences downed an Israeli combat plane, but later corrected the report denying downing of the plane. Israeli military has refuted the claims about the downing.

A high-ranked Syrian security source in a comment to Sputnik on Friday denied statements about an Israeli combat plane shot down by the Syrian air defense, confirming that Damascus’ forces had indeed downed several aerial targets that had attacked the Syrian territory.

The same source told Sputnik late on Thursday that the Syrian forces had downed an Israeli combat aircraft and four missiles over Al Kiswah city located to the south of Damascus. The statement followed Syrian media reports saying that the country’s air defense forces downed several targets in the south of Syria.

"In the nighttime, radars can fail to properly identify hard bodies. That was what provoked a confusion which made us think that the target downed near the Kanaker settlement to the south of Damascus was an Israeli combat plane," the source said.

The Israeli military has, in its turn, refuted reports that its plane had been downed by the Syrian air defence.

Reports regarding an IDF aircraft or an airborne IDF target having been hit are false.

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) November 29, 2018

​Earlier, Syrian Arab News Agency reported citing a military source that Syria's air defence forces have intercepted several "hostile targets" over al-Kiswah and downed them.

"Our air defence systems repelled an attack by several enemy targets over the Al-Kiswah area in the south of the country and shot them down," the Ikhbariya television said, citing a Syrian military source.

Earlier this year, Syrian Arab News Agency's reporter said that air defences countered another "hostile target" which had breached Syrian air space west of the capital Damascus.

The target back then was reportedly destroyed over Deir al-Ashair area. There were no immediate reports as to what it was.

READ MORE: Russia's S-300 Will be Able to Close Parts of Syrian Airspace — Moscow

Previously, Syrian President Bashar Assad said that he did not exclude another US strike anytime as long as the United States continued to violate international laws, adding that Syria will continue beefing up its air defences.