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Israel confirms it deployed F-35 in combat

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Israel has become the first air force in the world to use the F-35 stealth fighter in military operations, according to Israel Air Force Commander Maj. Gen. Amikam Norkin.

Norkin said: “The F-35 squadron has become an operational squadron. We are flying the F-35 all over the Middle East – we might be the first to attack with F-35 in the Middle East.”

Norkin confirmed that the state-of-the-art stealth fighter was not involved in the most recent Israeli strike in Syria, but was involved in two operations before that. He also confirmed details of the Iranian missile strike at Israel on 10 May. He said Iran fired a total of 32 missiles towards Israel and 100s of missiles were fired at Israeli aircraft as they carried out airstrikes on Iranian and Syrian positions.

Syria’s army has also announced that it is now in control of all of Damascus for the first time since the civil war began in 2011, following the capture of the final ISIS-controlled enclave in the south of the city.

Syrian army spokesperson General Ali Mayhoub declared Damascus and its surroundings “completely secure” yesterday.

Approximately 1,600 people left the area for the desert in the east of the country over the weekend, as part of a safe-passage agreement with the Syrian government. In March and April, thousands of opposition fighters were evacuated from the Damascus suburb of eastern Ghouta in a similar arrangement.

The Syrian regime, along with its allies of Iran and Hezbollah, are expected to turn their attention to Daraa province and other parts of southern Syria, bringing them closer to Israel’s border.