Israeli Science, Culture and Sports Minister Ghaleb Majadle said Friday that Israeli Air Force planes enter Syrian airspace on a daily basis and estimated that recent plane incident would not prompt a war with
It was likely that the planes either entered Syrian airspace to take photographs or in error, Majadle told Nazareth-based A-Sinara newspaper.
It was the first response from a senior Israeli official to Wednesday night's alleged foray over the Syrian airspace by Israeli planes. On Thursday night, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert denied any knowledge of the incident.
"I don't know what you are talking about," Olmert said in response to local daily Ha'aretz.
Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Vice Premier Haim Ramon issued similar responses. "I don't know what happened there, " Ramon said.
The Syrian army said earlier that its air defenses fired at an Israeli warplane that entered
A spokesperson of the Israel Defense Forces told Xinhua that "it is not our custom to respond to these kinds of reports."
