Benjamin Netanyahu - ReutersJERUSALEM/BEIRUT - 11 February 2018: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israeli forces would press ahead with Syria operations despite their loss of an advanced warplane to enemy fire for the first time in 36 years.Syrian anti-aircraft fire downed the F-16 as it returned from a bombing raid on Iran-backed positions in Syria early on Saturday. "Yesterday we landed hard blows on the forces of Iran and Syria. We made unequivocally clear to everyone that our modus operandi has not changed one bit," he said.Iran's involvement in Syria, including the deployment of Iran-backed forces near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, has alarmed Israel, which has said it would counter any threat. "BROADEST ATTACK" ON SYRIA DEFENCESIsrael said it had destroyed three Syrian anti-aircraft batteries and four targets "that are part of Iran's military establishment" in Syria during Saturday's raids. "(But) in a fog of war environment, another incident can easily drag the relevant parties toward a regional conflict."

Source: Egypt Today February 11, 2018 13:07 UTC