Israeli Patriot Missiles Miss Syrian Drone Intruded In Its Airspace

Israeli Defense Forces fired two Patriot missiles at a Syrian drone that crossed into its airspace but missed to hit the target.

The missiles missed the drone which "returned to Syria" after the incident in the central Golan Heights, where the demarcation line between the two countries is located, the military was quoted as saying by AFP.

"Moments ago two Patriot air defence missiles were fired towards a drone which infiltrated Israeli airspace from Syria," the military said in a statement on Sunday evening.

A Hezbollah source said his organization flew the drone “as part of an operation against Israel.” The drone returned to base, according to the unconfirmed report by Channel 10.

Patriot surface to air batteries have been used on at least two previous occasions to destroy enemy drones in Israeli air space.

In August 2014, a Patriot missile shot down a drone that entered Israeli airspace from Syria. The IDF said at the time that the drone had been launched from the Quneitra region in Syria, adjacent to the Israeli border.

“The IDF will not tolerate a breach of the State of Israel’s sovereignty,” the army said after the incident.

Army sources said that drone likely belonged to the military of Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime, and strayed into Israeli airspace by accident.

In July 2014, an unmanned aerial aircraft entered Israeli territory from Gaza and was shot down over Ashdod by a Patriot missile battery. The drone set off a Code Red alert siren in the city.