Diplomatic sources said Israel Air Force F-16 multi-role fighters
intercepted and downed two Syrian MiG-29 fighter-jets in 2001. The sources
said the dogfight took place in September 2001 over the eastern
Mediterranean Sea.
This was the first engagement between Israeli and Syrian fighter-jets
since the 1980s. The sources said the air battle took place when Israel Air
Force fighter-jets buzzed the Syrian city of Latakia, a port used by Iran
for the shipment of weapons to Hizbullah.
The Washington-based Reform Party of Syria first provided details of the
Israeli-Syrian dogfight. RPS initially said the air battle took place on Sept. 14,
2004, adding that both downed pilots were rescued by Syrian military
helicopters, Middle East Newsline reported. Later RPS issued a correction stating that the year was 2001, not 2004
RPS, quoting a European source, said the Israeli fighter-jets used an
Israeli-origin Python-4 air-to-air missile to down one of the MiG-29s. The
other Syrian MiG-29 was shot down by a U.S.-origin AIM-9M Sidewinder.
The pilots of the MiG-29s were identified by RPS as Maj. Arshad Midhat
Mubarak and Capt. Ahmad Al Khatib.
Diplomatic sources said the Syrian losses led President Bashar Assad to
accelerate efforts to procure advanced anti-aircraft systems from Russia.
Syria has requested a range of anti-aircraft systems, including the SA-18,
TOR-M1, S-300PMU2 and the S-400 systems.
The most likely Russian sale to Damascus is that of the SA-18, the
sources said. They said Russia would supply the first SA-18 short-range
systems – either directly or through a third country – within several
months.
In January, Russia and Syria – overriding objections from Israel and
the United States – agreed on the sale of the SA-18 to Damascus. Russian
officials said the sale of the SA-18 would not violate any international
arms agreement.
"Russia has cooperated with Syria for decades, and my country is
convinced that Syria has a strong right to get defensive weapons," Russian
ambassador in Tunisia Aleksei Tserub said.