The Israeli military confirmed that it had shot down a Syrian fighter jet infiltrating its airspace over Golan Heights early Tuesday morning.

It was the first such incident in about three decades and has reportedly heightened tension in the already volatile region.

Lt. Col. Peter Lerner, the spokesman for the Israeli military, said that the U.S.-made Patriot air defense system had intercepted the Syrian fighter plane in mid-flight at around 9:15 a.m. local time.

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An unnamed Israeli defense source identified the jet as the Russian-made Sukhoi Su-24. Previously, it was reported to have been a MiG aircraft.

Lerner said the Syrian jet penetrated 2,600 feet into Israeli airspace and attempted to return after the Patriot missiles were fired.

The crew managed to eject safely into Syrian territory, Brig. Gen. Ram Shmueli, former head of intelligence of the Israeli Air Force told The New York Times. Meanwhile, the remains of the aircraft fell into the sea.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the watchdog that tracks violence in Syrian's civil war, told Reuters that the aircraft was bombing a town near the Israeli side of the border when it crossed the Golan Heights.

Commenting on the incident, Israel's defense minister Moshe Yaalon, said Israel had to shoot down the Syrian aircraft as it does not tolerate any element-neither a state nor a terror group-to threaten the country's security and violate its sovereignty.

Yaalon told reporters that Israel does not wish to be involved in the civil war, but it had to keep its borders protected using all means possible.

The downing of the Syrian aircraft is seen as a possible source of escalation of conflict between the bordering states. Already, Syria was condemning the downing of the aircraft as an act of aggression, according to Reuters.

The incident coincided with the air strikes mounted by the United States and its Arab allies against Islamic State targets in Syria today, although it did not appear to be directly linked, Reuters reported.

TagsIsrael, Syrian fighter jet, Israeli airspace, Golan Heights, Fertile Crescent