Israel/Syria: Israeli forces shoot down Syrian plane July 24 amid offensive /update 5

Event

Israeli forces shot down a Syrian warplane that had reportedly entered Israeli airspace in the Golan Heights on Tuesday, July 24. According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the Syrian Air Force plane entered about 1.6 km (1 mi) into Israeli airspace before the IDF intercepted it with two Patriot missiles, causing it to crash in Syrian territory.

The incident comes amid the continuation of the Syrian government advance on opposition rebel-held areas in the southwestern province of Quneitra, which has forced rebels refusing to accept ceasefire deals to evacuate to remaining opposition-held areas in Idlib and Aleppo provinces. Additional cross-border confrontations between Israeli and Syrian government forces, as well as the continuation of the Syrian government's southwestern offensive and accompanying evacuations are expected in the near-term.

Context

Before the Syrian government offensive in southwestern Syria, which began in June, the region had been relatively calm over the previous year because of a "de-escalation" agreement brokered by the US, Jordan, and Russia. Syria remains enmeshed in a complex civil war that started between the Assad government and opposition forces in March 2011.

Today, the conflict in Syria involves many parties, including the Syrian government, the Russian government, the Iranian government, the Turkish government, a US-led coalition, and numerous armed groups on the ground (including the Islamic State) with competing goals.

Advice

Due to extremely poor security conditions, Western governments generally advise against all travel to Syria, with some banning travel to the country. Professional security advice and support should be sought prior to any travel to Syria.