Tzvika Haimovich, commander of Israel’s Air Defence Forces, told reporters on Thursday that “the Russians are not an enemy” and that the Israeli Air Force “has no intention to create needless friction” with Russian air power plying the skies of neighbouring Syria.
Speaking alongside US Lt. Gen. Timothy Ray, 3rd Air Force commander and the man charged with commanding a US-Israel Joint Task Force for air and missile defence, Haimovich acknowledged that Russian aircraft had violated Israeli air space at least twice in the past half year.
When asked, however, if that constituted a change in Israeli air defence policy, Haimovich said his mission is to “prevent enemy penetrations in any form at any time” and to do so “with professionalism and good judgment.”
“The Russian presence in the Middle East in recent months is a fact. Russia is not an enemy of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) or the Israel Air Force," Haimovich said. "We are trying to avoid all unnecessary friction.”
Click here to read the full article in Defense News
E.J.C.
Δεν υπάρχουν σχόλια:
Δημοσίευση σχολίου