Patriot missile intercepts drone fired from Syria, Israeli army says

The Israel Defense Forces said it fired a Patriot missile at and intercepted an unmanned aerial vehicle that was flown from Syrian territory toward the Golan Heights.

“Moments ago, a Syrian UAV was intercepted by a Patriot missile,” the IDF spokesperson tweeted on Wednesday, July 11.

It triggered alarms in the Golan and Jordan Valley regional council areas, the IDF spokesperson added.

The drone infiltrated the Israeli border from Syria, according to the Air Force.

It was shot down over the Sea of Galilee and the army has ordered all boats off the water as a precautionary measure, the Jerusalem Post reported.

On Friday, the IDF fired on a Syrian military post after a shell launched during fighting between the regime and rebels landed in the buffer zone between Syria and Israel.

In January, Israeli defense officials told the country’s Channel 10 news that Syrian forces who enter the buffer zone would be legitimate targets.

“The IDF will not allow any violation of Israeli airspace and will act against any attempt to hurt its civilians,” the spokesperson said on Wednesday.

In February, an Israeli Air Force F-16 fighter jet crashed while attacking Iranian targets in Syria.

IDF spokesperson Jonathan Conricus said the F-16 was targeting “Iranian control systems in Syria” that sent a drone into Israeli airspace.

The drone was identified and tracked by Israel’s aerial defense systems and later intercepted by an Apache helicopter around 4 a.m. near the town of Beit She’an in northern Israel, the IDF said. According to the spokesperson’s office, the drone was launched from Tiyas Military Airbase near Palmyra.

Israel Air Force Brig. Gen. Tomer Bar said the captured drone was an advanced, low-signature model never before captured, Haartez reported.

Conricus said the military had confirmed “accurate hits of the UAV control facility,” a claim denied by the Syrian side.

This is a developing story and will be updated.