Israel Strikes Iran in Syria and Loses a Jet<br />Russia, along with Iran, has been helping prop up the government of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria, and the Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement calling on “all sides involved to show restraint and avoid all acts<br />that could lead to complicating the situation further.”<br />The ministry added: “It is absolutely unacceptable to create threats to the lives and security of Russian soldiers<br />that are in the Syrian Arab Republic on the invitation of the legal government to assist in the fight against terrorism.”<br />After a meeting with President Vladimir V. Putin in Moscow two weeks ago, Mr. Netanyahu said in a statement<br />that Israel viewed with “utmost gravity” Iran’s efforts to establish a military presence in Syria, and said he had made clear to Mr. Putin that Israel would “act according to need.”<br />Mr. Netanyahu said he spoke with Mr. Putin on Saturday and agreed that security coordination between the two countries would continue.<br />The Israeli military said it hit eight Syrian targets, including three aerial defense batteries, and four Iranian positions<br />that it described as “part of Iran’s military entrenchment in Syria.”<br />The events, including Israel’s direct engagement with Iranian forces, threatened to intensify the crisis in Syria<br />and showed the extent to which the country has become a battlefield between Israel and Iran, bitter foes in the region.<br />But this was the first Israeli strike on a site where Iranian forces were present, analysts said,<br />and Israeli military officials said this was the first time an Iranian drone had penetrated Israeli airspace during the Syrian war.
