Missile battles began between Russia and Israel in Syria - Newszect

The Russian Armed Forces have reportedly shot down 13 Israeli missiles over Syrian airspace, after the Israeli Air Force attempted to launch an attack on the city of Tartus in Western Syria on the Mediterranean coast. Military Watch Magazine reported this.
It is noted that the report came from a number of Russian sources. The Russian military presence in Syria is heavily concentrated in the Western province of Latakia, primarily around Khmeimim Airbase and a naval facility in the city of Tartus. Military Watch Magazine says that both facilities have gained growing strategic importance for Russia in recent years, with the former having been expanded to accommodate strategic bombers able to deploy nuclear capable missiles against NATO’s southern flank. Although Russia has refrained from deploying its air defence systems to intercept Israeli, Turkish and Western missile attacks in the past, the sensitivity of the city of Tartus and surrounding areas makes it highly plausible that the country’s air defence systems would be used to intervene.Russian air defence systems deployed at Khmeimim Airbase include the long range S-400 and S-300V4, the medium range BuK-M2 and the short range Pantsir-S, as well as various electronic warfare assets. Patnsir systems have been used extensively in the past to intercept attacks from Islamist insurgent groups. While Israeli cruise missile attacks on Syria have consistently used subsonic missiles, the S-400 and S-300V4 have proven capable of intercepting targets travelling at hypersonic speeds of over Mach 8, Military Watch Magazine says.
Syrian army sources told Reuters that Syrian air defenses intercepted suspected Israeli missiles targeting the Mediterranean port city of Tartous, after witnesses said they heard multiple explosions. According to reliable SOHR sources, the Israeli Airforce Defences stationed in the Al-Golan blocked an unknown object of unknown source, where several missiles were fired from the Iron Dome, one of which landed in Syrian territory. It is noted that Israeli warplanes launched an airstrike targeting Matraba crossing, which links Al-Qusayr area in the Syrian side to Lebanese territory, resulting in a number of casualties. It is noted that this was the first Israeli raid targeting Syrian territory since the beginning of Israel’s last escalation of