On Monday a Syrian army mortar shell hit Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The Israeli Air Force (IAF) reacted by striking artillery position on the Syrian side of the border. Syrian air defences attempted to shoot down Israeli planes and the Syrian Defence Ministry even announced that a jet and a drone were destroyed. However, Israelis vehemently rejected these claims, saying that although two S-200 surface-air missiles had been launched, neither posed a real threat to IAF jets.

Exchanges of fire, which had been taking place sporadically for some time, have become a regular occurrence after the outbreak of a civil war in Syria. As a rule, Israeli army responds with force to shelling of Golan Heigh, whether it is deliberate or accidental, and the previous week saw three such incidents. The last clash should be seen in the context of fighting between government and opposition forces along the border. A rebel offensive was started in this region on Saturday and according to government reports it is being continued despite a ceasefire that came into effect on Monday. Israel previously provided some aid to rebels operating near the border, treating them as lesser danger than Damascus-allied Hezbollah.

What is newsworthy is that an attempt to shoot down Israeli planes that might have been a signal that Syria is not willing to accept Israeli posture on the border. Given that previous confrontations had been following a predictable pattern, the decision to fire surface-air missiles was probably made by senior commanders. However, Israel enjoys an overwhelming technological advantage, raising doubts about Syria’s capability to actually shoot down an Israeli plane if it tried.

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