Syria fires on warplanes

[Flabbergasted]

BBC News

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/6981674.stm
Thursday, 6 September 2007, 15:16 GMT

Syria 'fires on Israel warplanes'

Syria has said its air defences opened fire on Israeli warplanes after they violated its airspace in the north of the country.
Syrian officials said the defences forced the jets to drop ammunition over deserted areas and turn back, according to the official news agency, Sana.

Israel's military said it would not comment on the reports.

Israel and Syria remain technically at war and tensions between them have been rising in recent months.

The Syrian government has insisted that peace talks can be resumed only on the basis of Israel returning the Golan Heights, which it seized in 1967.

Israeli authorities, for their part, have demanded that Syria abandon its support for Palestinian and Lebanese militant groups before talks can begin.

'Military messages'

A Syrian spokesman said the Israeli aircraft had flown into Syrian airspace from the Mediterranean Sea at around 0100 local time on Thursday morning, Sana reported.

They were then engaged by Syrian air defence forces in the Tall al-Abyad, an area 160km (100 miles) north of Raqqa and near the border with Turkey, witnesses said.

[Hydra]

1. And so

The cauldron bubbles and spits a bit more.

[theoldman]

2. I hope the Syrian pilots are top guns.

In the past the Syrians have been very inept when fighting the Israelis.

[beberocks]

3. Good for them. I'm tired of Israel acting like they own the ME.

I'm not anti-semitic, but I've despised Israel ever since the Lebanon-Israel war. The states around Israel have a right to defend themselves, and if Israel really wants peace, they better deal with the Palestinians fairly IMO.