Syrian Air Force responds to missile attack

[Alejo]

Hi everyone,

Just ran across this (from ZeroHedge):

"Massive Explosions" Heard Above Syria Amid Reports Of Fighter Jets Aistrikes; Pentagon Denies

Multiple so far unconfirmed reports are coming in of a Sunday night air raid over Eastern Homs targeting several military facilities in Syria, including explosions at Syria's Tiyas Military Airbase (also known as T-4), as well as Al Sin and Al Shoryaat air bases.
The unconfirmed reports follow footage of jets crossing through Lebanon, while there are also reports that U.S. warships have fired cruise missiles.

Adding to the confusion, are reports that at least some of the aircraft above Syria have been "identified" as Israeli, although the IDF has yet to indicate, or confirm, it is conducting an offensive attack on Syria.

Then their Update:

Update: confusion, of course. According to Syria's TV channels, there has been an "aggression on T4 airfield with several strikes, likely to be by the US”. Meanwhile Pentagon officials deny any US involvement.

RT has also reported it:

Syrian Air Defenses respond to ‘missile attack’ on airbase in Homs – state media

The Syrian Air Defense Force has responded to a "missile attack" on a military airport in the area of Homs, state media SANA is reporting.
At least eight missiles were launched at Syria’s T-4 air base in the east of Homs province, SANA reports, citing a military source. According to the agency, the attack has “likely” been carried out by the United States. Meawnhile, Lebanon’s Al Mayadeen broadcaster has reported that the missiles were coming from the Mediterranean Sea, through Lebanese airspace.

The US Defense Department is "aware" of reports of an alleged missile strike, but did not confirm them, a Pentagon representative told Sputnik.
Meanwhile, Al Masdar News is reporting that “unknown jets” have entered Syrian airspace from Lebanon, and is speculating that the jets could be Israeli. In response, the Syrian Air Defense system at Mezzeh Air Base was activated, the report added.

And AMN has this to say:

Breaking: Massive explosions heard in eastern Homs after unknown jets enter from Lebanon

BEIRUT, LEBANON (4:10 A.M.) – Massive explosions were heard in the eastern countryside of the Homs Governorate, tonight, after unknown jets entered Syrian airspace from Lebanon.
According to a military source in Damascus, the Syrian Air Defense system was deployed from the Mezzeh Air Base after the jets entered Syria from Lebanon’s Beqa’a Valley.

Some early reports indicate that the jets were Israeli, as this is the route they usually take before bombing the Syrian military.
There is still no confirmation regarding the cause of the blasts or if the warplanes were Israeli or U.S.
U.S. President Donald Trump recently said that the Syrian government will “pay a price” for the reported Douma attacks; however, there has been no word from Damascus that these explosions were caused by U.S. airstrikes.

 

[Alejo]

Just ran into this Update from AMN:

Update: Cruise missiles target eastern Homs airport - Syrian state media

Al-Masdar originally reported from a source in Damascus that it was unknown jets from Lebanon that targeted this area; however, the Syrian state media is reporting the source of the explosions were cruise missiles.

If cruise missiles were deployed, the entity behind the attack would most likely be the U.S. military.

 

[Alejo]

And there's this also:

Update: Syrian Army claims 8 missiles shot down by air defenses

BEIRUT, LEBANON (5:00 A.M.) – The Syrian Air Defense managed to shoot down several missiles that were targeting the T-4 Military Airport in the eastern countryside of Damascus.
According to a Syrian military source in Damascus, the Syrian Air Defense shot down at least eight missiles that were targeting the T-4 Airport.

The source of the attack is still being determined; however, it is very likely an Israeli strike.
Israel has attacked the T-4 area in the past, as it has a large presence of Hezbollah and Iranian military personnel.

So at this point, it could be an israeli attack that is sort of common place due to the presence of iranian military personnel. Or the US just went full retard and launch another attack on Syria after false claims of a nonsensical chemical attack.

 

[Yas]

I ran across this on Twitter too. There are report all over the place. According to some sources, including ZeroHedge, the US hasn't confirmed the attack, some say they denied it. ZeroHedge is citing an AP source and Sputnik a journalist from The Wall Street Journal who deny the US launched the attack. So, so far, nobody has confirmed, but many are pointing to Israel, or even France.

That Sputnik article in Spanish also reports:

A military source confirmed the attack to Sputnik and reported the successful shooting down of several missiles:

"Syria's air defences destroyed several missiles near the T-4 airfield. The fragments of the missiles fell in the vicinity of the air base," he said.

The interlocutor initially pointed out that the airfield infrastructure had not been damaged. However, SANA subsequently reported that there were victims of the attack.

 

[Alejo]

I ran across this on Twitter too. There are report all over the place. According to some sources, including ZeroHedge, the US hasn't confirmed the attack, some say they denied it. ZeroHedge is citing an AP source and Sputnik a journalist from The Wall Street Journal who deny the US launched the attack. So, so far, nobody has confirmed, but many are pointing to Israel, or even France.

That Sputnik article in Spanish also reports:

Actually, interestingly enough, on that same article is pointed out that the F-16 that was shot down by the Syrian air force a few months back, would have been attacked from this very air base (T-4). It does point to an Israeli revenge so far.

 

[Ca.]

From Net News.com
https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5224945,00.html
Snip: 4-9-18

"An aggression was perpetrated on T-4 air base in several strikes that is most likely to be an American attack," state television said in a news flash.
The US Pentagon said it was not conducting air strikes in Syria "at this time," formally denying the Syrian state television report.
When asked about the explosions, an Israeli spokeswoman declined to comment.
Israel has struck Syrian army locations many times in the course of the conflict, hitting convoys and bases of Iranian-backed militias that fight alongside Syrian President Bashar al Assad's forces.

An intelligence source based in the region told Reuters he did not rule out an Israeli strike on the base.

Israel had previously said Syria had allowed Iran to set up a complex at the base to supply its ally, the Lebanese militant Shi'ite group Hezbollah, with weapons.

The Israeli military last February accused Iranian-backed militias of operating at the base, from where it said an Iranian drone, that was shot down over northern Israel, had been launched.

Israel has long said Iran was expanding its influence in a belt of territory that stretches from the Iraqi border to the Lebanese border, where Israel says Iran supplies Hezbollah with arms.

 

[Keyhole]

From RT - Several killed & injured in ‘missile attack’ on airbase in Homs – Syrian state media

The attack has “probably” been carried out by the United States, the agency said, but US officials have firmly denied such allegations. While the US Defense Department is "aware" of reports of an alleged missile strike, it has dismissed the reports of any US involvement.

“At this time, the Department of Defense is not conducting air strikes in Syria,” the Pentagon told Reuters in a statement. “However, we continue to closely watch the situation and support the ongoing diplomatic efforts to hold those who use chemical weapons, in Syria and otherwise, accountable.”

According to Lebanon’s Al Mayadeen broadcaster, the missiles were coming from the Mediterranean Sea, through Lebanese airspace. Meanwhile, Al Masdar News is reporting that “unknown jets” have entered Syrian airspace from Lebanon, and is speculating that the jets could be Israeli. In response, the Syrian Air Defense system at Mezzeh Air Base was activated, the report added.

Talking to RT, Sreeram Chaulia, a professor at India’s Jindal School of International Affairs, noted that the Israeli Air Force has already been striking Syria in recent years, targeting the supply lines of Hezbollah. But this time, he said, it looks “like an impending US or French missile strike” carried out in response to the recent alleged chemical incident in Douma.
..
Amid escalating tensions, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the US Central Command (CENTCOM), have allegedly been compiling lists of potential targets and attack options to present to Trump and his national security team, senior US military officials told Israel’s i24NEWS.
Israeli officials had, throughout Sunday, advocated striking targets in Syria, calling on Washington to retaliate against Damascus in response to the alleged Douma chemical attack. The charge was led by the Israeli Strategic Affairs and Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan, who told the Army Radio on Sunday that he personally hopes that the US would take military action against the Syrian government.

 

[mkrnhr]

According to the Russian military, the attack was carried out by Israel:
2 Israeli warplanes carried out strikes on Syrian airbase – Russian MoD

In a statement on Monday, the Russian military said: “Two Israeli Air Force F-15 jets fired eight guided missiles at the T-4 airfield.” The Israeli aircraft did not enter Syrian airspace and launched the strikes while flying over Lebanon.

 

[Ca.]

12 Iranian Personnel Killed In Israeli Airstrike On Syria's T4 Airbase - Reports
09.04.2018

At least 12 Iranian personnel were killed and about 20 others were injured in an Israeli missile strike on Syria’s T4 Airbase early on April 9, according to pro-government sources.

Furthermore, a military source in the T4 airbase informed SouthFront that Iranian forces had lost a major part of its assets, including equipment, which had been deployed in the area. No details on the type of the deployed equipment were provided.

According to the Syrian state-run news agency SANA, Syrian forces also suffered some casualties. However, the number of the casualties was not provided. At least one Syrian soldier was injured in the attack.

Following the attack, the Russian Defense Ministry revealed in a statement that the strike had been conducted by two Israeli F-15 warplanes, which launched 8 missiles. Five missiles were shot down by Syrian forces, but three reached the western part of the airbase.

These three missiles allegedly targeted positions of Iranian forces deployed in these part of the base.
Another interesting issue is that some local sources reported an electromagnetic (EM) warfare attack on Syrian forces during the Israeli strike on the T4 airbase. The EM warfare attack named by them as one of the key reasons why three missiles were able to reach the airbase.

US not ruling out military action against Syria after reports of chemical weapons use – Mattis
Published time: 9 Apr, 2018 13:17

US Defense Secretary James Mattis won't rule out the possibility of launching airstrikes against Syria in response to an alleged chemical attack in militant-held town of Douma.
Speaking with reports on Monday, Mattis said he wouldn't "rule out anything right now" after being asked if the US was mulling strikes against Assad.

Meridith McGraw‏Verified account @meridithmcgraw
(Insane in the Membrane)
Mattis: “The first thing we have to look at is why chemical weapons are still being used at all. Russia was the framework guarantor of removing all the chemical weapons & so working with our allies and partners, from NATO to Qatar & elsewhere we are going to address this issue.”

Apr 9, 2018 / 3:25

Syria conflict: Israel blamed for attack on airfield - BBC News
[SIZE=4][B]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-CijPHj1_Q / 4:50 [/B][/SIZE]

 

[angelburst29]

09.04.2018 - Israeli Air Raids on Syria since Start of Civil War
Israeli Air Raids on Syria Since Start of Civil War

The Syrian T-4 base was attacked by two Israeli jets on April 9, 2018, according to the Russian and Syrian militaries, and reportedly claimed the lives of 14 soldiers. Tel Aviv hasn’t confirmed or denied this information. Sputnik recalls other Israeli airstrikes against Syria over the years.

2013 - It all began with hitting a military convoy on January 30, 2013 on the Damascus-Beirut highway, which was allegedly carrying weapons for Hezbollah. Tel Aviv didn't confirm the information. Later the same year, several unidentified aircraft performed airstrikes on May 3 and 5. The first strike targeted a warehouse at Damascus International Airport which reportedly contained surface-to-surface missiles. The second strike targeted several locations across Syria, including the Al-Dimas air base. Various sources estimate the Syrian army's casualties between 42 and 300.

2014 - Damascus International Airport was targeted again the following year, specifically its military area called Al-Dimas. A series of airstrikes launched on December 7, 2014, destroyed weapons depots in hangars and, according to some sources, killed 3 Hezbollah fighters. Israel again didn't confirm or deny the allegations of carrying out the strike, although it admitted hitting Syrian troops on June 23 the same year, which took the lives of at least ten soldiers.

2015 - Another strike took place on August 20, 2015, when the Israeli air force attacked several locations in Syria, including the bases of the 68th and 90th brigades. The next day another strike was launched, hitting a vehicle and killing 4-5 civilians, according to information from the Syrian government. Tel Aviv confirmed involvement in the incident, claiming it was a strike against Hezbollah forces.

2017 - The Syrian army's military site in Palmyra was hit by Israeli jets on March 17, 2016 under the pretext of destroying a weapons shipment for Hezbollah in Lebanon. The strike was reportedly responded to by Syrian air defense systems shooting down one of the planes, although mutually contradictory accounts by the IDF refuted that report.

Later the same year, the IDF performed several other airstrikes, hitting Damascus Airport, a missile battery near the country's capital and a scientific research center in Damascus.

2018 - Retaliating for an alleged Iranian drone incursion over Israeli territory, the IDF launched an airstrike against its positions on Syria's territory on February 10, costing them one of their jets. The loss of an aircraft over Syrian territory prompted another attack against the country, claiming lives of between 6 and 10 soldiers, according to various sources and damaging 12 sites.