Flight security

Passenger plane narrowly escaped Israeli attack on Syria: Russia

An Airbus A320 with 172 passengers on board made an emergency landing in Russia-controlled Khmeimim Air Base after Syria's air defence nearly hit it because of Israel's air raids, Russian state news agency RIA said on Friday citing a Russian defence ministry spokesman.

The flight en route from Tehran to Damascus narrowly escaped "the lethal zone of artillery fire" as the Syrian air defence forces were trying to repulse an Israeli attack near Damascus on Thursday, RIA said.
"Israeli General Staff's military operations in air using passenger jets for cover or block of response fire by Syrian missile systems is becoming a typical trait of Israeli Air Force," the spokesman said.

According to the spokesman, after 2am local time (00:00 GMT), four Israeli F-16 fighter jets struck eight air-to-ground missiles in the suburbs of Damascus without entering Syrian airspace, RIA reported.