Syrian UAV intercepted in northern Israel

Today, Wednesday July 11th, a Syrian UAV entered Israeli territory and was soon thereafter intercepted by a Patriot missile above the Sea of Galilee. The Patriot Aerial Defense System identified the threat and tracked it until its interception. The IDF was able to confirm that the UAV belonged to the Syrian Armed Forces.

“After we closely monitored the UAV and ensured that all the necessary conditions were met, we decided to intercept it with one Patriot missile,” said Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus, Head of the International and Social Media Branch.

While there are not many details about the UAV at this time, IDF officials have confirmed that it was unarmed. The debris, which fell near the Sea of Galilee, are currently being investigated to determine its model and other relevant information.

The UAV crossed 6 miles (10 km) into Israeli territory from Syria after flying over Jordan. The monitoring process, which allowed the IDF to track the UAV, played a key role in the interception of the drone and allowed the IDF to ensure to whom the drone belonged. While IDF officials are currently unsure if the UAV entered Israeli airspace intentionally. The airspace is dense and it is not uncommon for UAVs from other armies to fly in the region. However, despite the amount of armed forces operating in the area, straying off flight paths is an uncommon occurrence

The IDF is prepared for a wide variety of scenarios and is committed to upholding the 1974 Separation of Forces Agreement. Furthermore, the IDF condemns this breach of sovereignty and will continue to act in response to any attempts of aggression against Israeli civilians.

Israeli-Syrian border