MIDDLE EAST: An Israeli Blitz v. Arab Summitry

Patrolling in leisurely fashion off the Syrian coast near the port of Tartus last week, the two Israeli reconnaissance jets looked deceptively vulnerable. They were, after all, 125 nautical miles from the nearest Israeli border. But when alert Syrian MiG-21s moved in for the kill, the sitting ducks turned out to be seductive decoys. Israeli Phantoms and Mirages flying cover high overhead in the partly overcast skies pounced on the Syrian planes. In what was by far the biggest air battle in the Middle East since the 1967 Six-Day War, 13 Syrian MIGS were...

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