by WorldTribune Staff, March 17, 2017
Israel confirmed that an Arrow-3 missile successfully intercepted a Syrian surface-to-air missile in the first ever use of the top layer of the nation’s air defense system.
The Arrow interceptor was used after several Syrian anti-aircraft missiles were launched at Israeli fighter jets which had returned to Israeli airspace after a mission to destroy a convoy in Syria that was said to be delivering weapons to Hizbullah, Israel’s Channel 10 reported on March 17.
The Arrow system intercepted one of the missiles, the Israeli army said, without elaborating.
A Syrian military statement said four Israeli warplanes flew into Syria through Lebanese territory and targeted a military position in central Syria.
President Bashar Assad’s regime said Syrian anti-aircraft systems confronted the Israeli planes and claimed one of the jets was shot down in Israeli-controlled territory and that another was hit. The Israeli military denied the allegation and said there was no sign that any of its jets had been hit or downed.
The Arrow system is designed to intercept long-range threats and can take out targets outside Earth’s atmosphere, the Israeli military said. The country’s Iron Dome system deals with short-range threats such as rockets, and David’s Sling is designed to take on mid-range threats.
The Arrow system, produced by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has been in use by Israel since the 1990s and in January the Israel Air Force officially took delivery of the first Arrow-3 interceptor, the most advanced Arrow system.
Israel downs Syrian missile in first use of Arrow system added by World Tribune on
View all posts by World Tribune →