Turkish fighter jets were scrambled toward Israeli Air Force aircraft that were bombing targets in Syria, the Turkish opposition-aligned daily Sözcü reported Sunday.
Sözcü, which is aligned with the Turkish opposition, claimed this was the first direct friction between the IDF and the Turkish military in Syria proper, but emphasized that both sides avoided direct confrontation. It was also alleged that the Turkish fighter jets used electronic warfare systems to issue warnings to the Israeli aircraft.
IDF officials denied the incident, claiming the Israeli Air Force maintains full freedom of operation in Syria
The paper quoted sources within the Syrian government who claimed that Israeli fighter jets carried out bombing sorties against military targets on May 2, targeting bases deep inside Syrian territory belonging to the Sultan Murad and Suleiman Shah Brigades, two Syrian Islamist militias backed by Turkey.
