Signs: Putin Warns Israel after Russian Plane shot Down Over Syria
‘Irresponsible’: Russia lashes out at Israel after military plane downed in Syria attack
Russia said Syrian forces mistakenly downed the reconnaissance plane with an air-defence missile as they attempted to fight off an attack by Israeli planes
(Bloomberg) — Russia warned angrily it may respond to “hostile” actions by Israel after one of its military reconnaissance planes was downed mistakenly by Syrian forces fighting off an attack by Israeli warplanes.
The spike in tensions came a day after Russia called off a campaign against the last major opposition-held area in Syria, preventing for now an escalation in the seven-year war, after President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan reached a deal on Monday. Still, unlike a 2015 incident in which Turkey shot down a Russian warplane, sparking a yearlong breach in ties, the Kremlin gave no sign the latest episode would lead to broader consequences.
Since sending forces to support the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in 2015, Russia has been a dominant player in the conflict, at times struggling to manage the competing interests of the other powers there. Russia has kept close ties with Israel, despite its regular attacks on the Moscow-backed regime in Syria.
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu blamed Israel’s “irresponsible” actions for the death of the servicemen in a call with his Israeli counterpart, Avigdor Liberman, Tuesday, according to the ministry. It said Syrian forces mistakenly downed the Il-20 reconnaissance plane with an S-200 air-defence missile as they attempted to fight off an attack by Israeli planes. Israel declined to comment.
Limited impact
The plane’s loss probably won’t have a long-lasting impact, said Alexander Shumilin, head of the Moscow-based Center for Analysis of Middle East Conflicts. “It wasn’t a deliberate act and it wasn’t an Israeli strike that shot the aircraft down, it was a Syrian one.” Israel regularly attacks Iranian-backed targets inside Syria, with Russia usually refraining from any action.
The Kremlin is “extremely concerned” by the downing of the plane, spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, but declined to comment beyond the Defence Ministry’s statement.
He said the episode won’t affect the “landmark” deal reached over Idlib Monday.
The Syria pact with Erdogan came just over a week after Putin rejected the Turkish leader’s call for a cease-fire in the area and is the latest example of the Kremlin’s tense balancing act among the rival factions in the Syrian conflict.
MOSCOW — The Latest on a Russian military aircraft shot down over the Mediterranean Sea and other issues related to Syria (all times local):
9:30 p.m.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned Israel against conducting air raids on Syria like the one that led to the downing of a Russian warplane by Syrian air defense missile, killing all 15 aboard.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Putin to express sorrow over the plane’s loss, but insisted that Syria bears responsibility for the downing of the Il-20 electronic intelligence plane.
The Kremlin said that Putin emphasized that the Israeli attack violated Syria’s sovereignty and also breached the Russian-Israeli agreements on avoiding clashes in Syria. The Russian leader urged Netanyahu “not to allow such situations in the future.”
Netanyahu also offered to dispatch the Israeli air force chief to Moscow to share details and noted the importance of the continuation of security coordination between Israel and Russia.
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7 p.m.
The U.N. special envoy for Syria is calling on Russia, Syria and Israel “to refrain from military actions” following the downing of a Russian military aircraft.
Staffan de Mistura told the U.N. Security Council at the start of a meeting on Syria that new military action “would only exacerbate an already complex situation.”
He expressed concern at “worrying military activities” just as a potential major military offensive in the last major rebel stronghold in Idlib was averted following an agreement Monday between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
De Mistura noted the differing statements by Russia, Syria and Israel about the downing of a Russian reconnaissance aircraft by Syria government anti-aircraft fire which killed all 15 people on board.
WALL STREET JOURNAL
MOSCOW—Russia blamed Israel on Tuesday for the loss of a reconnaissance plane downed accidentally by Syrian forces reacting to a raid by Israeli jet fighters, but leaders of the two countries quickly worked to defuse further tensions, underscoring the desire of regional powers to prevent escalation.
Moscow said that the Israelis had given too little warning of a strike by four F-16s over Syrian airspace that aimed to destroy Iranian targets there. As a result, a Russian Il-20 aircraft was downed overnight by Syria’s semi-automated air defense systems, killing 15 Russian service members on board.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a telephone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, blamed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for the downed plane, but expressed regret for the loss of life, a statement from the prime minister’s office said.
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6:45 p.m.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has expressed sorrow over the downing of a Russian warplane in which the entire 15-member crew was killed after being hit with a Syrian missile as Syrian air defenses fired on Israeli jets.
Netanyahu told Russian President Vladimir Putin during a phone call that Syria bears responsibility for the downing of the Il-20 electronic intelligence plane. He offered to dispatch the Israeli air force chief to Moscow to share details.
He noted the importance of the continuation of security coordination between Israel and Russia, saying it helped prevent many losses on both sides. Netanyahu also noted that Israel is determined to block Iran from establishing a military presence in Syria and transferring weapons to its proxy Hezbollah militia for use against Israel.
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5:15 p.m.
Israel says its deputy ambassador in Moscow was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry after an aircraft was shot down over Syria.
Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon says that there will be no comment on what was discussed between Deputy Ambassador Keren Cohen-Gat and Russian officials.
Russia has blamed Israel for the incident saying the plane was caught in the crossfire as four Israeli fighters attacked targets in northwestern Syria.
Israel says Syria is responsible for shooting down the aircraft. It said Israeli jets had targeted a Syrian weapons facility and were already back within Israeli airspace when the incident happened. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin are expected to speak about the incident later Tuesday.
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4:35 p.m.
A war monitoring group says Israeli raids against a Syrian weapons facility on Syria’s coast killed two soldiers whose bodies were found after the fire sparked by the explosions died down.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Tuesday the identities of the soldiers were not known. The Syrian government acknowledge the raid that targeted the compound of the state-owned Institute for Technical Industries.
Syria said its air defenses were activated and intercepted the Israeli jets off its coast. It turns out they instead hit a Russian reconnaissance aircraft that was returning to a Russian base on Syria’s coast. All 15 Russians onboard the aircraft were killed.
The Observatory said the Syrian air defenses that hit the Russian aircraft came from a brigade based in Baniyas, a town over 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of Latakia. Russia has military and naval bases in Syria’s coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus.
It remains a game for the Western powers, until they start collecting their own in body bags.