The Israeli military confirmed Monday that one of their Skylark drones was taken down by Syrian anti-aircraft defenses. The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is used for tactical surveillance. Manufactured by Elbit Systems, based in Haifa, Israel the Skylark is operated by the Israeli Defense Forces Artillery Corps.
Israeli forces had launched an aerial attack on targets near Palmyra, Syria last Friday.
The Israeli military said the circumstances of the incident were being checked, but that there were no immediate suspicions that classified data could be retrieved from the device.
An Israeli army statement said “several anti-aircraft missiles” were fired following the raid, but that none hit their targets, dismissing a Syrian claim that one plane was downed and another damaged. One missile was intercepted by Israel’s Arrow missile defense battery, military officials said, in the first reported use of the advanced system.
On Sunday, an Israeli drone strike reportedly killed a member of a Syrian pro-regime militia, striking a truck driving near the town of Khan Arnabeh in the Quneitra province, on the road to Damascus. – The Times of Israel
Hezbollah has released images of a drone they claim to have shot down. This would be the second loss of an Israeli Skylark drone in a weeks time as it is reported that one crashed in Gaza last Wednesday.
سلاح الدفاع الجوي في الجيش السوري يُسقط طائرة استطلاع صهيونية من دون طيار بعد خرقها السيادة السورية في ريف #القنيطرة#الاعلام_الحربي_المركزي pic.twitter.com/NU5Ecls6Kk
— الاعلام الحربي مركزي (@C_Military1) March 20, 2017
Israel has publicly stated they will not allow Hezbollah to obtain advanced weapons capabilities and will act to destroy them if detected.
Featured image of an Israeli soldier launching a Skylark drone by Ronen Zvulun/Reuters
