On September 25 afternoon, an Israeli spy plane approached the Russian Naval base in the coastal Syrian city of Tartus.
SAMA Strategy Analysis, a group monitoring developments in the Middle East and Northern Africa, detected the plane as it flew off the shores of Lebanon before approaching the naval base in Tartus.
The Israeli Air Force Gulfstream G550 Nachshon Aitam (569, 738A4D) as flight 4X980 fly for the first time at such distance near Tartus. pic.twitter.com/a3mayXgtr1
— SAMA Strategy Analysis (@samastrategy) September 25, 2019
The plane was identified as the Israeli Air Force (IAF) Nahshon-Eitam airborne early warning and control (AEW&C). The plane, which was built on the basis of the Gulfstream G550, was developed by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Elta Electronics Industries.
The Nahshon-Eitam is equipped with the EL/W-2085 active electronically scanned array (AESA) multi-band radar system. Besides it main task as a AEW&C, the plane can carry out surveillance missions.
Last year, IAF warplanes carried out a series of airstrikes on Syrian coast. As a result, a Russian Il-20 spy plane was shot down by Syrian air-defense fire. Since then, Israel has ceased its attacks on the region.
