Israel contradicts Syria over downing of warplane amid airstrikes

The Syrian army said Tuesday it shot down an Israeli warplane over the southern province of Qunaitera, but Israel denied, local media reported.

Israel's army said Tuesday that Syria launched missiles toward Israeli war jets but missed, denying Syrian claims on downing an Israeli military drone.

An Israeli military spokesperson said in a statement sent to Xinhua that the incident occurred overnight after Israeli jets struck artillery posts in Syria.

The strike came in retaliation for a Syrian mortar shell that exploded a few hours before in an open field in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights.

"Two surface-to-air missiles were launched from Syria after the mission overnight to target Syrian artillery positions," the spokesperson said.

The fire exchange was the fifth such incident occurred over the past two weeks, but it was the first time the Syrian army responded with missiles to the Israeli retaliation.

The General Command of the Syrian army said an Israeli warplane violated the Syrian airspace over Qunaitera after midnight, attacking one of the military positions there.

"Our defense system confronted the attack, shooting down the Israeli warplane and a drone," the army said.

It said the Israeli attack comes in the framework of the Israeli support to the terrorist groups in Qunaitera. It wasn't the only Israeli attack this month.

On Sept. 10, the Israeli warplanes backed a rebel attack Qunaitera, attacking one of the military positions in that area, Syria's national TV said.

The TV report said the Syrian forces and allied troops have thwarted a wide-scale offensive by the rebels against the towns of Hadar and Mashati-Hadar, as well as Tal Ahmar in Qunaitera countryside.

The Syrian government repeatedly accused Israel of backing the rebels in Qunaitera. Endit