Ex-IDF Chief Eisenkot Accuses Netanyahu of Unresponsiveness During 2018 Jet Downing

Gadi Eisenkot, chairman of the "Yashat!" party, reiterated his account of the February 10, 2018 incident where an Israeli F-16 fighter jet was shot down by Syrian anti-aircraft fire. Eisenkot stated at a cultural event in Rishon LeZion on Friday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not respond to him for several hours after the jet was downed, contradicting Netanyahu's recent statements.

Eisenkot, who was the IDF Chief of Staff at the time, detailed the events: an Iranian drone targeting Palestinians in the West Bank was intercepted, leading to an Israeli strike on an Iranian command vehicle in Syria. During this strike, the F-16 was shot down, and its pilots parachuted safely into Israeli territory. Eisenkot described this as a very serious incident and instructed the Air Force commander to prepare a broad strike against Syrian anti-aircraft batteries, Iranian targets, and the Syrian airfield involved.

Eisenkot claimed that he tried to reach Netanyahu but was told by the Prime Minister's military secretary that Netanyahu could not be woken. He asserted that, contrary to protocols as described by Netanyahu, he made the decision to proceed with the attack himself, surrounded by at least ten other individuals. He added that this was not the first time Netanyahu had not communicated with the Chief of Staff during a security event.

A military source familiar with the protocols countered Eisenkot's account, stating that Netanyahu was immediately updated and approved the attack plan. The source indicated that the strike, targeting three radar sites and an Iranian objective, was executed at 6:20 AM. Syrian reports of Israeli strikes near Damascus emerged around 9:00 AM, approximately three hours after the jet was downed. An IDF statement later confirmed a "wide-ranging" attack on 12 targets, including Syrian air defense batteries and Iranian sites.

According to the military source, Netanyahu scheduled a follow-up assessment for 11:30 AM, while Eisenkot and the General Staff decided no further response was needed until a 5:00 PM assessment, at which point they concluded no additional action was necessary.