Israel suspected of 'hacking' Syrian air defences

Questions are mounting over how Israeli planes were able to sneak past Syria's defences and bomb a "strategic target" in the country in September 2007

Israeli F-15s and F-16s bombed a military construction site on 6 September. Earlier reports of the attack were confirmed this week when Israeli Army radio said Israeli planes had attacked a military target "deep inside Syria", quoting the military censor.

The motives for the strike, much less what was hit and what damage was caused, remain unclear. One theory is that a fledgling nuclear research centre, the fruits of alleged collaboration between Syria and North Korea, may have been hit. Others speculate that a store of arms shipments bound for the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah might have been targeted. A test against Syria's air defences has also being suggested in some quarters. None of these theories appear to be much better than educated guesswork.

Bombers carrying out the raid are believed to have entered Syrian airspace from the Mediterranean Sea. Unmarked fuel drop tanks were later found on Turkish soil near the Syrian border, providing evidence of a possible escape route. Witnesses said the Israeli jets were engaged by Syrian air defences in Tall al-Abyad, near the border with Turkey.

This location is deep within Turkey, prompting questions about how the fighters avoided detection until so long into their mission. Neither F-15s nor F-16s used by the Israeli air force in the raids are fitted with stealth technology. >> More..