The Syrian Arab Air Defense Forces (SyAADF) intercepted several unidentified aerial objects over the southern part of the country in the late hours of May 18.
“Unidentified objects entered the airspace of the southern region from the occupied areas, air-defense systems are intercepting them,” a short press release by the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) said.
No explosions were reported on the ground. This allowed experts to speculate that the aerial objects were decoy missiles or balloons launched by Israel.
Live from #AlQunityra pic.twitter.com/bfJrFzGMQR
— Syrian Military Capabilities (@Syrian_MC) May 18, 2019
A day earlier, Syrian air-defense systems shoot down similar unidentified aerial objects south of the country’s capital, Damascus.
The Israeli Air Force (IAF) is known for its extensive use of aerial decoys. Israel’s IMI Systems developed many decoy missiles over the years, such as the ADM-141A\B TALD and the ADM-141C ITALD, which are equipped with passive and active radar enhancers. TALD has a range of 126km, while the ITALD’s range is over 300km.
Israel may have launched decoys to provoke the SyAADF in order to collect information or even to use the Syrian air-defense fire as an excuse for a new aerial attack on the country.



