Israeli F-15I combat jets at an air show outside Beersheva, in southern Israel, in June 2013. EPA
Israeli F-15I combat jets at an air show outside Beersheva, in southern Israel, in June 2013. EPA
Israeli F-15I combat jets at an air show outside Beersheva, in southern Israel, in June 2013. EPA
Israeli F-15I combat jets at an air show outside Beersheva, in southern Israel, in June 2013. EPA

Israel's strikes on Hezbollah in Syria are latest episode in a long air war


Robert Tollast
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In recent weeks, supposedly civilian Iranian aircraft have turned around after trying to land in Syria.

Mahan Air, Pouya Air and Iran Air often make these trips without incidents – although Israeli air strikes have hit Damascus and Aleppo airports, at times after the aircraft land, an Israeli security analyst told The National on background.

It is unclear why the aircraft have recently aborted their missions, but they could have decided proceeding was unsafe after a warning or the close presence of Israeli jets. Iran's cargo planes are subject to western sanctions, accused for more than a decade of flying arms to Syrian President Bashar Al Assad, his allies in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps – and Hezbollah.

Israel, meanwhile, has discarded red lines in the current war, killing senior Iranian generals in a strike on Iran’s Damascus embassy compound on April 1, which prompted the latest cycle of escalation, including ballistic missile attacks on Israel.

Israel's Syria strikes are part of a campaign of weekly attacks against suspected Iranian weapon shipments, mainly intended for Lebanese Hezbollah.

Syria's long-range air defences
Syria's long-range air defences

Since October 7, the group has been under pressure from Israeli air strikes, after it opened a front against Israel, after the start of the Gaza war. Those strikes are not just in Lebanon – where nearly 2,000 people have been killed in bombing, but in Syria, too.

Israel has admitted to thousands of strikes, although rarely commenting on individual actions. But they are said to be almost entirely against Hezbollah weapons storage and supply lines through Syria, as well as IRGC, Syrians and Iraqis assisting them.

Israel's war between the wars

The so-called “campaign between the wars” began on January 2013, when the Israelis bombed anti-aircraft missiles en route to Lebanon. Three months later, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said Syria would provide the group with “game changing” weapons.

Syrian special weapons research sites in Masyaf have also been bombed and, possibly, raided, a part of this linked campaign.

“The campaign didn't really stop the transfer of missiles, because even if we were able to stall them, Hezbollah moved to indigenous production," says Danny Citrinowicz, a 25-year veteran of Israel defence intelligence.

"It produced its own missiles, accurate missiles. It managed to transfer highly sophisticated capabilities. So in that regard the campaign was stalling, but not depriving. But what it really did, it really prevented the Iranians from building a second front from Syria."

The rise and fall of Syria's air defences

Syria once had the deadliest air defences in the Middle East, with thousands of anti-aircraft missiles dotting the country. At the start of the 1973 Arab-Israeli war, the Israelis lost six US-supplied F-4 Phantom jets trying to bomb air defences near the Golan Heights. Israel eventually won the upper hand, bombing Damascus on October 9 – 51 years ago today.

Syria then expanded air defences, including in Lebanon’s Bekaa valley. During the Israeli 1982 invasion of Lebanon, equipped with US F-15 fighter bombers, Israelis shot down 86 Syrian aircraft for two F-15s being damaged.

Operation Mole Cricket 19, saw 30 Syrian anti-aircraft sites bombed, with the Israelis using Samson decoy drones. Syrians wasted missiles on the decoys and exposed their positions – which were destroyed by radar-seeking missiles.

Photo dated October 10, 1973, of a building destroyed by an Israeli bombing in Damascus during the 1973 Arab–Israeli War. AFP
Photo dated October 10, 1973, of a building destroyed by an Israeli bombing in Damascus during the 1973 Arab–Israeli War. AFP

Israel raided Syria again in 2007 to destroy a nuclear research site in Deir Ezzor. Analysts claimed the Israelis hacked into Syria’s linked air defence system, knocking it offline, or used an electronic warfare system called Senior Suter to send false radar signals to enemy defences. Syria then updated its air defences with new Russian equipment.

These tactics, from decoy drones to false radar signals, were part of a decades-long process in modern electronic warfare to “crack” enemy air defences, says Thomas Withington, an expert in the field. Many of these “Suppression of Enemy Air Defence” tactics are still used, including the decoy drones which became a US-Israeli project, the Tactical Air Launched Decoy.

The long war, he says, is part of an continuing evolution of modern combat.

“The SA-2 and SA-6, which were used by the Syrians, were in the 1950s and 60s the feared Soviet medium to long range, medium to high altitude SAM system, that allowed Vietnam to shoot down so many American planes, and the Israelis had to fly against them.

“Then we get to Gulf War One, and we get to the Balkans, and we get to Libya. And the fundamental takeaway is that those systems are ineffective. And the reason they're ineffective is because of all of the effort that the US and the Israelis spent to defeat them. The S-300 and the S-400 risk going in that direction.”

By 2011, when a major uprising against Bashar Al Assad erupted across the country, Syria’s air defences were still a force to be reckoned with. The air defence command had up to 40,000 personnel and 150 SAM batteries. Each battery of SA-5 missiles comprised six launchers.

Configuration of typical SA-5 complex. Photo: CIA
Configuration of typical SA-5 complex. Photo: CIA

Syria could flood the sky with missiles, presenting a serious threat to Israeli aircraft, despite the fact that many of the systems were ageing. Israel became more aware of this in February 2018 when it lost one F-16 and suffered damage to an F-15 in two rounds of Syrian SA-5 attacks involving up to 30 missiles.

But the uprising had seen much of the country fall into rebel hands, along with airbases and anti-aircraft batteries. Israel exploited this weakness to hit harder at Hezbollah’s supply chain. That supply chain, according to Hezbollah expert Matthew Levitt, was built up following the 2006 war with Israel and boosted by Hezbollah’s intervention in support of Assad in the civil war.

According to Israeli analyst Yaakov Laapin, 800 targets were bombed in this campaign between 2016 and 2017 alone. Brigadier General Amnon Ein Dar said that “thousands” of missions had been conducted.

The 2018F-16 incident was a rare success for the Syrians, but resulted in retaliation that, according to Israeli estimates, destroyed one third of the country’s air defences. Two months later, Israeli F-35s entered service. The almost undetectable stealth bomber was soon hitting targets, despite the presence of advanced S-300s lent by Russia to reinforce Syrian air defences.

Mr Withington says this move – intended to help the Syrians – could prove dangerous for the Iranians, who use the S-300. F-35s have the capability to analyse enemy radar signals and store them in a database, a processor on the jet called the Automated Logistics Information System. In Iran, that could allow instant recognition of what enemy defence crews are doing.

Air defence battle

Even with this knowledge, the Israelis have likely faced challenging missions. Some analysts believe Iran has sent new Khordad-15 missiles to Hezbollah through Syria, as well as basing them in the country.

“All systems eventually yield their secrets. But the problem with any air defence system is that in order to defeat it, if you're going up against S-300s, there will be a very particular set of processes that you use to try to defeat any radar that is either searching for you or has locked on to you.

“You've got to execute them in a precise sequence in such a short amount of time. And if you get one of those things wrong, the radar continues locked. Aircraft electronic warfare systems now try to do as much of that automatically as possible, but there's still a set sequence that you have to follow.”

Whether or not Iran has transferred Khordad air defences to Syria, for now, the Israelis have the upper hand, Mr Citrinowicz says. But while this is a setback for Hezbollah, he says the main dilemma is one for Assad.

“Assad was ready to co-operate with Iran and Hezbollah, but I think he was fearing for his own life or survival of the regime, so he's preferred not to directly intervene. The Israeli campaign really highlighted Israel's capabilities to him,” Mr Citrinowicz said.

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Name: Steppi

Founders: Joe Franklin and Milos Savic

Launched: February 2020

Size: 10,000 users by the end of July and a goal of 200,000 users by the end of the year

Employees: Five

Based: Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai

Financing stage: Two seed rounds – the first sourced from angel investors and the founders' personal savings

Second round raised Dh720,000 from silent investors in June this year

Directed by: Craig Gillespie

Starring: Emma Stone, Emma Thompson, Joel Fry

4/5

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Khalfan Mubarak
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Rayan Yaslam
The Al Ain attacking midfielder has become a regular starter for his club in the past 15 months. Yaslam, 23, is a tidy and intelligent player, technically proficient with an eye for opening up defences. Developed while alongside Abdulrahman in the Al Ain first-team and has progressed well since manager Zoran Mamic’s arrival. However, made his UAE debut only last December.

Ismail Matar
The Al Wahda forward is revered by teammates and a key contributor to the squad. At 35, his best days are behind him, but Matar is incredibly experienced and an example to his colleagues. His ability to cope with tournament football is a concern, though, despite Matar beginning the season well. Not a like-for-like replacement, although the system could be adjusted to suit.

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2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit

2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”

2022:  Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency

July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”

Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.

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Torque: 250Nm

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Match is on BeIN Sports

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While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.

The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.

Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”

One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.

Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms. 

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COMPANY PROFILE

Company name: Letstango.com

Started: June 2013

Founder: Alex Tchablakian

Based: Dubai

Industry: e-commerce

Initial investment: Dh10 million

Investors: Self-funded

Total customers: 300,000 unique customers every month

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Sid Jhurani is not the first cricketer from the UAE to go to the UK to try his luck.

Rameez Shahzad Played alongside Ben Stokes and Liam Plunkett in Durham while he was studying there. He also played club cricket as an overseas professional, but his time in the UK stunted his UAE career. The batsman went a decade without playing for the national team.

Yodhin Punja The seam bowler was named in the UAE’s extended World Cup squad in 2015 despite being just 15 at the time. He made his senior UAE debut aged 16, and subsequently took up a scholarship at Claremont High School in the south of England.

Skoda Superb Specs

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Torque: 320Nm

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Toyota land Cruiser 2020 5.7L VXR

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VEZEETA PROFILE

Date started: 2012

Founder: Amir Barsoum

Based: Dubai, UAE

Sector: HealthTech / MedTech

Size: 300 employees

Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)

Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC

The specs

Engine: 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V8

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Bayern Munich v Real Madrid

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May 2017

The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts

September 2021

Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act

October 2021

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December 2024

Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group

May 2025

The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan

July 2025

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Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision

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RACECARD

4.30pm Jebel Jais – Maiden (PA) Dh60,000 (Turf) 1,000m
5pm: Jabel Faya – Maiden (PA) Dh60,000 (T) 1,000m
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6pm: The President’s Cup Prep – Conditions (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 2,200m
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The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

Updated: October 10, 2024, 5:35 AM