The Syrian military and its allies are denying that the unmanned drone Israel says it shot down violated the Jewish state's airspace, saying it was on a regular mission gathering intelligence on Islamic State militants.
The Saturday statement on Central Military Media, which is allied with the Syrian military, called a subsequent Israeli attack on a drone station in Syria's central Homs province a "terrorist act," warning of "a tough and serious response."
The statement said Israeli jets targeted a drone base in central Syria whose mission is to gather intelligence on IS in the area. It said the station was hit while drones were on regular missions in the country's desert in Homs province.
The statement said it was "a lie and misleading" to say the drone had entered Israel's airspace.
