. 24/7 Space News .
MISSILE DEFENSE
Israel says it foiled Syrian ballistic missile threat
by Staff Writers
Jerusalem (AFP) March 20, 2017


A senior army officer said Monday that Israel had fired its Arrow missile at a Syrian rocket which posed a "ballistic threat" during clashes over the weekend.

Israeli warplanes struck several targets in Syria on Friday, drawing retaliatory missile fire, in the most serious incident between the two countries since the start of the Syrian war six years ago.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the air strikes targeted weapons bound for Lebanon's Shiite militant group Hezbollah, and that Israel would do the same again if necessary.

Syria's military launched anti-aircraft missiles at the attackers and said it had downed an Israeli plane and hit another as they carried out pre-dawn strikes near the desert city of Palmyra.

Israel denied any of its aircraft was hit.

Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Sunday threatened to destroy Syrian air defence systems "without the slightest hesitation" if they fired on Israeli planes in future.

During the sortie, Israel threw its Arrow interceptor into the fray to take out what the officer said Monday was believed to have been a Russian-made SA 5 missile.

"It was a ballistic threat focused on the state of Israel," he said, speaking in English to foreign media on condition of anonymity.

"Our mission is to defend the state and the people of Israel," he added. "That was exactly the case last week."

Former prime minister and defence minister Ehud Barak has questioned the wisdom of the Arrow launch, saying it may have escalated tensions with Syria in too public a manner.

Missile fragments fell in Jordan, which borders both Israel and Syria, without causing casualties.

But the Israeli officer said Monday that the Syrian missile, weighing "tonnes and carrying hundreds of kilos of explosives" had posed a threat that could not have been ignored.

"Try to imagine the meaning if this kind of threat would hit the cities and towns of Israel," he said.

Launching the Arrow, jointly developed by the United States and Israel, was "a correct and effective solution", he added.

Russia's foreign ministry on Monday said it had summoned Israel's ambassador over the strikes and "expressed concern".

Israel and Syria are still technically at war, though the border had remained largely quiet for decades until 2011 when the Syrian conflict broke out.

Iranian-backed Hezbollah has been fighting inside Syria in support of President Bashar al-Assad against rebels.

While Israel has largely avoided getting sucked into the conflict directly, it has repeatedly struck Syrian territory, particularly targeting alleged Hezbollah weapons convoys.

MISSILE DEFENSE
Russia takes swipe at US missile defence in South Korea
Tokyo (AFP) March 20, 2017
Russia on Monday criticised the deployment of a US anti-missile system aimed at North Korea, saying it poses "serious risks" to the region. The US this month began installing the THAAD anti-missile system in South Korea in response to the North's intensifying ballistic missile development. Allies Washington and Seoul say it is for purely defensive purposes. China fears it could undermine ... read more

Related Links
Learn about missile defense at SpaceWar.com
Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com
All about missiles at SpaceWar.com
Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com

Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

MISSILE DEFENSE
Trump, NASA and a rare consensus: mission to Mars

Russia to Build First New-Generation 'Federation' Spacecraft by 2021

COBALT Flight Demonstrations Fuse Technologies to Gain Precision Landing Results

NASA Selects New Research Teams to Further Solar System Research

MISSILE DEFENSE
N.Korea rocket test shows 'meaningful progress': South

SpaceX cargo ship returns to Earth

N. Korea's Kim hails engine test as 'new birth' for rocket industry

Delayed European rocket launch to go ahead after strike

MISSILE DEFENSE
Mars Volcano, Earth's Dinosaurs Went Extinct About the Same Time

Does Mars Have Rings? Not Right Now, But Maybe One Day

ExoMars: science checkout completed and aerobraking begins

Mars Rover Tests Driving, Drilling and Detecting Life in Chile's High Desert

MISSILE DEFENSE
China Develops Spaceship Capable of Moon Landing

Long March-7 Y2 ready for launch of China's first cargo spacecraft

China Seeks Space Rockets Launched from Airplanes

Riding an asteroid: China's next space goal

MISSILE DEFENSE
OneWeb Satellites breaks ground on high-volume satellite manufacturing facility

Globalsat Sky and Space Global sign MoU for testing and offering satellite service in Latin America

Start-Ups at the Final Frontier

Russia probes murder of senior space official in jail

MISSILE DEFENSE
The strangeness of slow dynamics

How fullerite becomes harder than diamond

Ecosystem For Near-Earth Space Control

Why water splashes: New theory reveals secrets

MISSILE DEFENSE
Operation of ancient biological clock uncovered

Fossil or inorganic structure? Scientists dig into early life forms

Gigantic Jupiter-type planet reveals insights into how planets evolve

Visualizing debris disk "roller derby" to understand planetary system evolution

MISSILE DEFENSE
Scientists make the case to restore Pluto's planet status

ESA's Jupiter mission moves off the drawing board

NASA Mission Named 'Europa Clipper'

Juno Captures Jupiter Cloudscape in High Resolution









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.