Iraqi Defense Ministry Denies Arrival of Two Israeli Jets in Iranian Airspace

Following a report in a Kuwaiti newspaper about Israeli F-35 fighter jets evading regional radars and entering Iranian airspace, a source from the Russian Defense Ministry strongly denied the claims of Israeli jets evading Russian radars in Syria. Meanwhile, the spokesperson for the Iraqi Defense Ministry stated that reports of Israeli fighter jets violating Iraqi airspace with the aim of moving towards Iran are not accurate. The Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Jarida reported on Thursday, April 9, that two Israeli F-35 fighter jets successfully violated Iranian airspace last month. The newspaper cited an 'informed source' stating that the two Israeli stealth aircraft crossed through Syrian and Iraqi airspace to reach Iran and even identified and designated targets in Bandar Abbas, Isfahan, and Shiraz. According to the report, these two jets, among the most advanced fighter aircraft in the world, conducted reconnaissance operations at high altitudes over Iran's nuclear facilities in the Persian Gulf. The 'informed source' told Al-Jarida that Russian radars stationed in Syria failed to track these two jets. The source refrained from confirming whether this operation was coordinated with the U.S. military. In response to this news, Iraqi media reported that 'Tahseen al-Khafaji', the spokesperson for the Iraqi Defense Ministry, issued a statement on Thursday night saying, 'Reports of Israeli fighter jets violating Iraqi airspace with the aim of moving towards Iran are inaccurate and untrue.' He further stated, 'Iraq has an air defense system that accurately monitors its skies, just as Iran has advanced radars capable of easily detecting violations of its airspace.' In response to this report, a source in the Russian Defense Ministry also called the report 'completely false' and told the Russian news agency Sputnik, 'The information published in several media outlets claiming that foreign sources say Israeli jets successfully deceived Russian radars in Syria and conducted reconnaissance operations at high altitudes is completely absurd.' The unnamed Russian source emphasized that any flying object at high altitudes is 'easily trackable and destroyable' by the air defense systems of most countries. He stressed that the air defense system stationed in Syria is effectively performing its duty to protect Russian facilities in Tartus and Khmeimim. Russia, a key ally of Bashar al-Assad, the President of Syria, has stationed its armed forces at the naval base in Tartus and the airbase in Khmeimim near the city of Latakia. Israel has previously acknowledged conducting over 100 airstrikes in Syria over the past 15 years, targeting Hezbollah positions, ammunition convoys, and infrastructure facilities. On Wednesday, April 1, Israel for the first time confirmed that the bombing of the Syrian nuclear reactor eleven years ago was its doing, with officials stating that it should serve as a warning to Iran. Israeli officials have yet to respond to the recent report by the Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Jarida.