The officers who once shot Israeli jets out of Syrian skies are now being taken from their homes by Syria's HTS regime. ￭ Al-Akhbar reports a wave of abductions targeting former air-defense personnel, including men stationed at Mezzeh Airbase who are credited with downing an Israeli jet in February 2018. ￭ Others worked at Syria's defense research centers tied to missile development, among them facilities raided by the IOF during the 2024 Masyaf incursion in the Hama countryside. ￭ Families told the paper that unlike earlier waves of abductions of air force officers, these men's photographs never appeared on Interior Ministry platforms, pointing to deliberate discretion.