Moscow is blaming Israel and summoned Israel’s ambassador and threatened “countermeasures” after a Syrian missile caused a Russian aircraft to crash, killing all 15 passengers.
By: AP and World Israel News Staff
A Russian reconnaissance aircraft was brought down by a Syrian missile over the Mediterranean, killing all 15 people on board, the Russian defense ministry said Tuesday. It blamed Israel for the crash, saying the plane was caught in the crossfire as four Israeli fighters attacked targets in northwestern Syria.
The Russian military said that the Il-20 reconnaissance aircraft was hit 35 kilometers (22 miles) off the coast late Monday as it was returning to its home base nearby.
“The Israeli pilots were using the Russian aircraft as a shield and pushed it into the line of fire of the Syrian defense,” Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said in a statement.Russian state television quoted a Defense Ministry statement as saying that Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told his Israeli counterpart, Avigdor Lieberman, that Israel is “fully to blame” for the deaths, after which Moscow summoned Israel’s ambassador over the “provocation.”
The military said Israel did not warn it of its operation over Latakia province until one minute before the strike, which did not give the Russian plane enough time to escape.
A recovery operation in the Mediterranean Sea is underway, Konashenkov said.
Russian news agencies later in the day quoted the ministry as saying that a rescue team has located the wreckage in the sea and has retrieved some bodies and some fragments of the wreckage.
Both the Israeli military and Israel’s Foreign Ministry declined comment on the Russian claim.
IDF says jets were inside Israel
“Israel expresses regret over the death of the crew of the Russian plane that was shot down by Syrian anti-aircraft fire,” the IDF stated, adding that its jets were all back inside Israeli territory at the time of the incident.
For several years, Israel and Russia have maintained a special hotline to prevent their air forces from clashing in the skies over Syria. Israeli military officials have previously praised its effectiveness
Russia has been a key backer of Syrian President Bashar Assad and has two military bases in the country, including one close to the Mediterranean coast.
Israel has refrained from taking sides in the Syrian civil war. But it has acknowledged carrying out scores of airstrikes against archenemy Iran and its Shiite proxy Hezbollah.
Israel has also acknowledged attacking Iranian targets some 200 times. Israel has warned that it will not allow Iran to establish a permanent military presence in postwar Syria.
Throughout the fighting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has maintained continuous contact with Russia. Netanyahu frequently travels to Russia for talks with President Vladimir Putin to discuss the Syria issue.
Sima Shine, a former senior Mossad official and ex-deputy director-general at the Strategic Affairs Ministry, told Israel’s Army Radio station that the shooting down is problematic both militarily and internally from a Russian perspective.
“I think it will impose very serious restriction on Israel’s freedom of activity,” she said.
Israel Syria IranIsrael-Russia relationsRussia SyriaSyrian Civil War
莫斯科指责以色列并召集以色列大使，并在叙利亚导弹导致俄罗斯飞机坠毁事件后威胁“对策”，造成15名乘客死亡。
作者：美联社和世界以色列新闻人员
俄罗斯国防部周二表示，一架俄罗斯侦察机被一枚叙利亚导弹击落地中海，造成机上15人死亡。它谴责以色列的坠机事件，称四架以色列战斗机袭击了叙利亚西北部的目标，这架飞机陷入了交火。
俄罗斯军方表示，一架Il-20型侦察机在周一晚间离开海岸35公里（22英里），因为它正在返回附近的主基地。
“以色列飞行员使用俄罗斯飞机作为盾牌并将其推入叙利亚防线的火线，”该部发言人Maj.Ge.Igor Konashenkov将军在一份声明中说。
俄罗斯国家电视台援引国防部发表的一份声明称，国防部长谢尔古告诉以色列对手阿维格多·利伯曼，以色列对死亡事件“完全负责”，之后莫斯科召集以色列大使“挑衅”。
军方说，直到罢工前一分钟，以色列没有警告它在拉塔基亚省的行动，这并没有让俄罗斯飞机有足够的时间逃脱。
Konashenkov说，地中海的恢复工作正在进行中。
俄罗斯新闻机构当天晚些时候援引该部的话说，一支救援队已经将残骸定位在海中，并找回了一些尸体和残骸碎片。
以色列军方和以色列外交部都拒绝就俄罗斯的说法发表评论。
以色列国防军说喷气式飞机在以色列境内
以色列对叙利亚高射炮击落的俄罗斯飞机机组人员死亡表示遗憾，“以色列国防军说，并补充说，事件发生时，其喷气式飞机全部回到以色列境内。
几年来，以色列和俄罗斯一直保持着一条特殊的热线，以防止他们的空军在叙利亚的空中发生冲突。以色列军方官员此前曾称赞其有效性。
“The Israeli pilots were using the Russian aircraft as a shield and pushed it into the line of fire of the Syrian defense,” Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said in a statement.
Russian state television quoted a Defense Ministry statement as saying that Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told his Israeli counterpart, Avigdor Lieberman, that Israel is “fully to blame” for the deaths, after which Moscow summoned Israel’s ambassador over the “provocation.”
The military said Israel did not warn it of its operation over Latakia province until one minute before the strike, which did not give the Russian plane enough time to escape.
A recovery operation in the Mediterranean Sea is underway, Konashenkov said.
俄罗斯一直是叙利亚总统巴沙尔阿萨德的重要支持者，在该国拥有两个军事基地，其中一个靠近地中海沿岸。
以色列在叙利亚内战中没有偏袒任何一方。但它承认对大敌伊朗及其什叶派代理真主党进行了数十次空袭。
以色列还承认攻击伊朗目标大约200次。以色列警告说，它不会允许伊朗在战后叙利亚建立永久军事存在。
在整个战斗中，本杰明内塔尼亚胡总理一直与俄罗斯保持联系。内塔尼亚胡经常前往俄罗斯与弗拉基米尔·普京总统会谈，讨论叙利亚问题。
战略事务部前高级摩萨德官员和前副总干事司马希恩告诉以色列陆军广播电台，从俄罗斯的角度来看，枪击事件在军事和内部都存在问题。
“我认为这将对以色列的活动自由施加非常严重的限制，”她说。以色列叙利亚伊朗以色列与俄罗斯关系俄罗斯叙利亚叙利亚内战