Reply #62: if we're thinking about the same event,

[Aidoneus]

it was something of a sneak attack. The Maronite Gemayal staged a trap against an area where there was a few Syrian SAM batteries, egged Israel on to attack it by air; the Syrians scrambled their jets in a rush just to try and save the SAM base, but weren't successful because it wasn't something they were actually ready for. A reckless mistake on their part, and a mistake they've probably learned a lot from.

Why not also mention Israel beating the Egyptian air force in '67? that's a real intense dogfight to be proud of too..

Selective preemption is a palatable idea to some people, as long as the aggressor flies the right flag.