Russia Blames Israel For Provocation That Led To Downing Of Its Plane Over Syria

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Russia has formally complained to Israel about its air attacks on Syria, which led to the downing of a Russian Il-20 plane off the Syrian coast on Monday

Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said Moscow laid the blame for the crew’s deaths “squarely on the Israeli side” saying  Israeli warplanes were responsible for “creating a dangerous situation” that led to the shooting down of the Russian military plane by Syrian air defense systems.

He added that “the actions of the Israeli military were not in keeping with the spirit of the Russian-Israeli partnership, so we reserve the right to respond.”

In a shift of tone on Tuesday however, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the downing of its military aircraft “looks like a chain of tragic circumstances, because the Israeli plane didn’t shoot down our jet”.

Press TV reports:  The plane vanished from radar screens over Syria’s Latakia Province late Monday while Israeli and French forces were launching strikes against the Arab country.

Fifteen Russian military personnel were killed as the aircraft was coming to land at the Hmeymim air base in Latakia, which is run by Russian forces.

“The Israeli pilots used the Russian plane as cover and set it up to be targeted by the Syrian air defense forces,” the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

“As a consequence, the Il-20, which has radar cross-section much larger than the F-16, was shot down by an S-200 system missile,” it said, adding Israel had warned Russia of an impending airstrike on Latakia only one minute beforehand.

Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said, “We reserve the right to take commensurate measures in response.”

Konashenkov described the Israeli military’s actions as “hostile” and “an act of provocation,” Russia’s Interfax news agency reported.

Shedding further light on the incident, Syrian state media said that Latakia’s capital of the same name came under attack from “enemy missiles” at around the time when the plane disappeared, forcing Syrian air defenses to respond.

France has, meanwhile, denied any involvement in the incident.

‘The blame lies squarely on Israel’

Meanwhile, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu spoke to Israeli minister for military affairs Avigdor Lieberman, on the phone about the incident.

“The blame for the downing of the Russian plane and the deaths of its crew members lies squarely on the Israeli side,” Shoigu said. “The actions of the Israeli military were not in keeping with the spirit of the Russian-Israeli partnership, so we reserve the right to respond.”

Israel’s Ambassador to Moscow has been summoned by the Russian Foreign Ministry in connection with the incident, the ministry’s spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, announced on social media.

The Kremlin also said it was studying the situation and would have more to say later.

5 Comments

  1. “Russia retains the right to respond to Ireali actions”? What does THAT mean? Will Putin raise the tariff on Isreali matzoh?

  2. Russia is only now realizing how EVIL IS(IS)ra*l truly is?!

    See who are the real Terrorists, mass murdering the Indigenous Orthodox Catholics/Muslims in Syria; Iraq, Libya and elsewhere, see

    1. French Report: ISIL Leader Mossad Agent

    By VT Senior Editors

    August 4, 2014

    IS Leader ‘Al-Baghdadi’ is ‘Jewish Mossad Agent’ Named Simon Elliot; and for more photos of Simon Elliot with that Terrorist McCain, see –

    2. ISIS Leader ‘Al-Baghdadi’ is ‘Jewish Mossad Agent’ Named Simon Elliot

    AZVISION (Azerbaijan news)

    04 November 2016

    • Even Beautiful Catholic Mexico and its brave Indigenous peoples – destroyed by the murderous Cannibal/Organ-Trafficking/Rapist Drug cartels! But we know who is behind these most evil Satanic ZioNAZI Drug Cartels (although they pretend to be Catholics) – in order to wipe out the ever fiercely resisting Indigenous Catholic Liberation theology Left, see –

      Zeta gang connected to U.S. Special Forces/Mossad

      By Wayne Madsen

      Intrepid Report

      Posted on March 10, 2011

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