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Israeli troops in the Golan Heights fired at an Israeli civilian plane on Wednesday evening, mistakenly identifying it as a hostile plane they believed to have infiltrated from Syria.
An army spokeswoman said dpa Thursday that the troops, believing the plane to pose an imminent threat, fired at him until they realized it was an Israeli plane.
No injuries were reported.
The pilot involved in the incident told Israeli news site Ynet that he was “a meter and a half away from the disaster.”
The pilot, who had the required clearances for the flight, said he felt a knock on one of the plane’s wings and initially thought it was a bird , Ynet reported.
He added that he then noticed that fuel was leaking from his aircraft.
“It is a serious incident which is under review,” said the army spokeswoman.
Israel seized the strategic Golan Heights from Syria during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War.
Israel annexed the territory in 1981, although this decision was not recognized internationally except by the United States earlier in 2019.
During the Syrian Civil War, Israel repeatedly launched airstrikes against Iranian targets in Syria.
Syria and Israel have never signed a peace agreement, and Israel and Iran remain staunch regional rivals. (dpa / NAN)
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