Air combat reported over Lebanon again

Israeli jets on a reconnaissance mission over Lebanon were attacked by Syrian planes, the Israeli Army said. It was the first aerial encounter since last summer's war.

The Army also reported that two days ago two ground-to-air missiles were fired at an Israeli helicopter in east Lebanon, where Syrian and Israeli forces face each other across a narrow no-man's land. The Israelis said no aircraft were hit in either incident and all returned safely to base. However, state-run Beirut Radio said in a report denied by Israel that Syrian ground-to-air missiles shot down a pilotless Israeli reconnaissance aircraft in the southern Bekaa Valley. The latest air encounters came amid warnings in Damascus and Jerusalem of a new Israeli-Syrian conflict.