IDF says missile was fired during IAF airstrike, was not a deliberate attack on reactor; in response, Israel targets battery that launched projectile; 4 Syrian troops hurt
Apr. 22, 2021
Incoming rocket sirens were triggered in the northern Negev in the predawn hours of Thursday morning, followed by massive explosions that could be heard throughout much of the country, as a Syrian surface-to-air missile crashed to earth near the Dimona nuclear reactor.
The Israel Defense Forces said the sirens were set off not by a directed attack on a target within Israel but by an errant Syrian anti-aircraft missile fired at an Israeli jet during an IAF airstrike on targets in the Syrian Golan Heights.
“A launch was detected of a surface-to-air missile from Syrian territory toward Israeli territory, which fell in the Negev region,” the IDF said.
There were no reports of injuries or damage.
IDF troops launched an interceptor missile at the incoming projectile to try to shoot it down, apparently unsuccessfully. The IDF said it was still investigating the matter as of Thursday morning. The Israeli military refused to identify which of its air defense batteries was used.
Published at www.timesofisrael.com
