Israeli army radio has acknowledged that Israeli aircraft attacked a military target deep inside Syria on 6 September, according to news reports from Jerusalem.
The statement came after the Israeli military censor lifted a month-long blackout on reporting about the strike, and followed a BBC television interview in which Syrian president Bashar-al-Assad publicly commented on the raid for the first time.
But other than allowing its media to report on the strike, Israel has not confirmed responsibility for the raid, or provided details of the target, the forces used or the mission's success.
Israel's F-16I Sufas were likely used on Syrian raid (IAF photo)
Assad told the BBC the target was an "unused military building" still under construction. Previously Damascus officials had said only that Israeli aircraft entered Syrian airspace and came under fire from air defences, dropping fuel tanks and munitions.
Reports at the time said several Israeli aircraft appeared to have entered Syrian airspace from the Mediterranean, and came under fire north of Raqqa near the border with Turkey. There were also reports that unidentified fuel tanks were found in Turkey near the Syrian border.
Since the attack it has been speculated the raid may have targeted an Iranian arms shipment to the Hezbollah in Lebanon; a suspected nuclear site allegedly being built with North Korean help; or was intended to test Syrian air defences.
F-16I has conformal tanks to extend range (IAF photo)
Source: FlightGlobal.com
