Russian Su-35s Intercept Israeli Warplanes Over Syria: Media reports

Russian Su-35 aircraft intercepted Israeli warplanes over southern Syria on night of September 10, a day after 18 persons were killed in a suspected Israeli attack on a Syrian army post hosting Iran-affiliated militia.

The Russian aircraft took off from the Khmeimim air base and intercepted Israeli aircraft over southern Syria, Russian website, Avia.pro reported citing unnamed sources. A couple of other Russian news resources too reported this incident without attribution.

Israel has not commented on this development and earlier reports of its aircraft striking supposedly Iranian positions inside Syria. The Russian MoD too has not made any comment about its warplanes intercepting Israeli aircraft.

Installations of S-300 missile systems by the Syrians do not seem to deter Israeli whose aircraft attack Syrian targets with impunity. However, with Russian warplanes in the sky, the Israeli aircraft withdrew without confrontation, another Russian website, Avia.ru writes.

Russia was under pressure from Syria since the attack on September 9 when Iraeli warplanes targeted a Syrian arms depot and posts hosting  Iranian advisors in eastern Syria, near the Iraqi border, killing at least 18 persons in a nighttime attack.

Significantly, during his visit to the Russian city of Sochi on Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Russian President Vladimir Putin that his country must be allowed to act freely against Iran.

“Security coordination between us is always important, but it is especially important now, since in the past month there has been a serious increase in attempts by Iran to hit Israel from Syria and to place there precision missiles to use against us,” the Israeli was quoted as saying in the Russian media

The two leaders have met more than a dozen times in recent years and the countries' militaries have been working to avoid accidental clashes in Syria, where Israel says it has carried out hundreds of strikes against Iranian targets to stop Tehran establishing a permanent military presence there.