AN Israeli F-16 fighter jet crashed in Israel today as the air force was carrying out attacks against “Iranian targets” in Syria after intercepting a drone, a spokesman said.

“IDF (Israel Defence Force) has targeted the Iranian control systems in Syria that sent the UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) into Israeli airspace. Massive Syrian anti-air fire, one F16 crashed in Israel, pilots safe,” Israeli military spokesman Lieutenant Jonathan Conricus wrote on Twitter.

According to a separate military statement, Israeli forces had identified an “Iranian UAV” launched from Syria and intercepted it in Israeli airspace with a combat helicopter.

Police said the F-16 crashed in the Jezreel valley in northern Israel.

“Iran is responsible for this severe violation of Israeli sovereignty,” Conricus said on Twitter.

Syria state media said air defences repelled the Israeli “attack”, saying they hit more than one warplane.

“At dawn, the Zionist enemy carried out a new aggression against one of our military bases in the centre of the country,” Syrian state news agency SANA reported.

“Our air defences repelled it and hit more than one plane.” – AFP, February 10, 2018.