Report: Most of the Iranian Drones over Syria Were Downed by Israel, US

11 May 2021, Israel, Ashkelon: Air defense missiles are fired from the Israeli Iron Dome air defense system. (dpa)
11 May 2021, Israel, Ashkelon: Air defense missiles are fired from the Israeli Iron Dome air defense system. (dpa)
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Report: Most of the Iranian Drones over Syria Were Downed by Israel, US

11 May 2021, Israel, Ashkelon: Air defense missiles are fired from the Israeli Iron Dome air defense system. (dpa)
11 May 2021, Israel, Ashkelon: Air defense missiles are fired from the Israeli Iron Dome air defense system. (dpa)

Most of the Iranian drones flying over Syria's airspace during Tehran's strikes overnight were downed by Israeli and US jets before reaching their targets in Israel, two Western intelligence sources said on Sunday.

They told Reuters the aerial interceptions shot down dozens of missiles and drones fired by Iran that flew above southern Syria in the Deraa province, the Syrian Golan Heights and several locations in eastern Syria along the border with Iraq.

US air defenses operated from the US base in al-Tanf, as well as along the Jordanian border and in eastern Syria, where Washington maintains hundreds of troops in several air bases, one source said.

He could not confirm whether US military aircraft and defense destroyers deployed in the Middle East were used in what he described as a "highly prepared" response based on accurate intelligence on both the timing of Iran's retaliation and its scope, using a swarm of drones and missiles.

Iran launched its attack in response to a suspected Israeli airstrike on its embassy compound in Damascus on April 1 that killed officers of the elite Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corp. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility for the attack.

The Pantsir air defense systems that Iran operates from several air bases inside Syria were ineffective in downing any Israeli aircraft, both sources added, without giving further details.

A regional intelligence source said US air defenses also helped Jordan to down at least a dozen drones and missiles that were flying over the country towards Jerusalem.

Iranian drones that came from the direction of Iraq and flew over southern Jordan and the city of Aqaba that were heading to Israel's Eilat port were also intercepted, he added.



Army Defuses Tensions in Northern Lebanon Caused by Syrian Coast Unrest

Lebanese soldiers are deployed in Beirut. (Reuters file)
Lebanese soldiers are deployed in Beirut. (Reuters file)
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Army Defuses Tensions in Northern Lebanon Caused by Syrian Coast Unrest

Lebanese soldiers are deployed in Beirut. (Reuters file)
Lebanese soldiers are deployed in Beirut. (Reuters file)

The Lebanese army defused on Sunday tensions in the northern city of Tripoli sparked by the clashes along the Syrian coast.

The army deployed in areas separating Sunni and Alawite neighborhoods in Tripoli overnight on Friday to contain any tensions from the violence in neighboring Syria.

Angry protesters had taken to the streets of Tripoli after news broke out over the stabbing of a minor from Syria’s Idlib. Lebanon’s National News Agency later reported that the minor was actually from Lebanon.

Soon after, news circulated on social media that Ahmed Bitar, a man from the predominantly Alawite neighborhood of Jabal Mohsen in Tripoli, was behind the attack.

The protesters blocked the Baqqar road leading to Jabal Mohsen, while tensions were high in the Qobbeh neighborhood, as the people called for the arrest of the perpetrator.

The tensions boiled over into a gunfight, sparking panic among the people. The army soon deployed heavily in the area and restored calm.

The Supreme Alawite Council warned in a statement that “civil peace and security stability were a red line.” It revealed that Bitar had complied with calls to turn himself over to the authorities.

“We fully trust that the security forces will carry out their duties to reveal the circumstances of the crime and uncover the truth,” it said.

“Tripoli has been and will continue to be a model of national unity that will shun strife,” it added.

A security source told Asharq Al-Awsat that the tensions in Tripoli were stoked by social media posts. No foreign meddling or political incitement were behind them.

The army moved quickly to contain the tensions, deploying heavily in Tripoli. Sunni and Alawite figures in the city were contacted to help defuse the tensions and prevent the unrest in Syria from spilling over into Lebanon.

Meanwhile, hundreds of Syrian Alawites sought refuge in northern Lebanon to escape the violence along the coast.

Security sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Syrians were entering through illegal crossings and heading to predominantly Alawite villages or Jabal Mohsen.

No exact figures have been tallied because the people are entering through illegal crossings, they added.

Media reports and local sources have said over 10,000 people have entered from Syria in the past three days.