| Submit your comments on this article | |
| Middle East | |
| Israel Air Force buzzes Assad's summer palace | |
| 2003-08-17 | |
Israel TV Channel 1 reported Friday night that following last week's Hizbullah shelling in the north the Air Force dispatched fighter jets to Syria which buzzed the palace of Syrian President Bashir Assad in a warning to rein in Hizbullah. The warplanes reportedly swooped in low over Assad's summer palace in the port city of Latikia where Assad was at the time. Assad reportedly saw and heard the jets, the TV reported. The aircraft later buzzed Beirut, but the message was apparently received and Hizbullah kept their anti-aircraft cannons in the north quiet.
| |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |
| #16 IDF: please make Syria look like lunar landscape. As for Hizbullandia: it would look good in charcoal. |
| Posted by: anonon 2003-8-17 9:20:00 PM |
| #15 "In June 1982 Isreali Air Force fighters (including F-15 Eagles and F-16 Fighting Falcons) engaged Syrian MiG-23 Floggers and MiG-21 Fishbeds over the Bekaa Valley. Assisted by an E-2C Hawkeye airborne early warning aircraft, the Israelis completely outfought the Syrians and claimed 22 victories in one combat and 25 in a second. ... According to one senior Isreali officer, the Syrian losses were due to inept tactics rather than any shortcomings in the MiG-23's design." -- Anthony Robinson, Soviet Air Power, Bison Books 1985 |
| Posted by: Raphael 2003-8-17 7:08:42 PM |
| #14 The IAF has a kill ratio of 29 (twenty nine) to one in air to air combat. If we eliminate 'Peace in Galilea' where the Syrian Mig 21s were hopelessly ouclassed by IAF's F16s and F15s we find that when flying planes roughly equal or inferior to the Arab ones the IAF still has a healthy 26 (twenty six) to one in air to air combat. |
| Posted by: JFM 2003-8-17 4:45:34 PM |
| #13 The Arabs do not like to fight the last war and whatever DID NOT work will not be used again. They MAY have an Air Force now but since it lasted less than an hour against the IAF last time, they are not part of any present military doctrine. Despots do not like Air Forces because they can turn on and eliminate them very quickly. Suffice to say that the IAF will ALWAYS have air supremacy over the middle east. I like the idea of the Blue Dye, it would piss them off for decades to come. I bet that the current Syrian Air Marshall is getting a 'Retirement' party. |
| Posted by: Cyber Sarge (VRWC CA Chapter) 2003-8-17 3:58:45 PM |
| #12 Good FrontPageMag article here on Israel and Syria: http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=9399 He makes a good case for action against this irritant. Israel probably has the same problem as the US, however, insufficent boots to cover all of their needs. Interesting read, nonetheless, though I would've expected Iran's funding role to be more central. |
| Posted by: .com 2003-8-17 11:15:33 AM |
| #11 Shipman - confirmed: "insh'allah" applies to maint work, too. Especially maint work, I'd bet... ;-> |
| Posted by: .com 2003-8-17 10:56:22 AM |
| #10 Subtle little messages like this are exactly why I love the Israelis! |
| Posted by: Dar 2003-8-17 10:51:49 AM |
| #9 It would be fun to know the number of Syrian aircraft that are serviceable.... Maintenance, boring, boring. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2003-8-17 10:46:31 AM |
| #8 I'm sure you're right! The blue dye idea would've been great, too - next time I think it will be a little stronger message than buzzing... One thing I discovered about the Arabs is that the last war they fought is as far as their imaginations go. If the Israeli forces of today decided to, they could prolly roll all the way to Damascus with about the same facility as the coalition did enroute to Baghdad. Their adversary isn't interested in any sort of stand-up fight - back-shooting is their style - so holding the ground and maintaining lines of supply and communications would be the problem. Anyone taking bets on when, during the WoT, Israel will finally be unleashed and allowed to make its own foreign policy and act in self-defense when threats are perceived - like every other nation on the planet? |
| Posted by: .com 2003-8-17 10:41:53 AM |
| #7 .com given the Syrian Air Farces performance against the IAF the last time they had a little set to they probably prefer to sit in their quarters and keep the Migs/Mirages nicely polished in the revetments. Just take the out for the May Day Parade or what ever they do in Syria. Too bad they couldn'toff buzzed the Beckka and Damascus too. I like the H2O ballons,but dye the water a nice IAF blue with a dye that does not wash out and bleeds right through any paint you try to put over it |
| Posted by: Someone who did NOT vote for William Proxmire 2003-8-17 9:06:12 AM |
| #6 Little paper bombs would have completed the effect. Water balloons would have been better. |
| Posted by: Anonymous 2003-8-17 8:13:04 AM |
| #5 They should do this to the asshats in Iran. And anywhere else for that matter. |
| Posted by: Raphael 2003-8-17 7:05:04 AM |
| #4 LOL. So where was the Syrian AF? The good doctor may want to go back to practicing what he was trained to do... There's definitely a cure for what ails SyrLeb, should they fail to take heed. |
| Posted by: .com 2003-8-17 4:53:02 AM |
| #3 I'd rather they didn't buzz his palace, giving him an opportunity to prepare defences. It would be better if they just stayed quiet, and one morning, without warning, bomb the bejeezus out of them. There's plenty of time to crow (or show loads of remorse) after Assad is being eaten by the crows. |
| Posted by: Anon1 2003-8-17 4:47:57 AM |
| #2 Little paper bombs would have completed the effect. |
| Posted by: Dishman 2003-8-17 12:35:36 AM |
| #1 I LIKE THAT! lol |
| Posted by: Frank G 2003-8-17 12:17:19 AM |