Syria Accidentally Downed Russian Aircraft Following Israeli Strike on Latakia
Syrian air defenses shot down a Russian military plane with 15 service members on board trying to respond to an Israeli missile strike on Latakia. An Israeli delegation, headed by IAF Commander Amikam Norkin, will debrief Kremlin officials on the IDF inquiry regarding the event
IsraelDefense
| 18/09/2018
By Dmitry Terekhov from Odintsovo, Russian Federation - Ilyushin IL-20M, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=48192003
A Russian military Ilyushin 20 (IL-20) surveillance aircraft with 15 service members on board went off the radar during an attack on Syria’s Latakia province, the Russian Defense Ministry confirmed.
According to RT, air traffic controllers at Khmeimim Airbase “lost contact” with the aircraft on Monday evening, and a search and rescue mission is underway.
CNN first reported that the Syrian Army air defenses accidentally shot down the Russian aircraft. A US official told CNN that the Syrians were trying to stop a barrage of Israeli missiles when the Russian aircraft was hit. A second official confirmed that Israel was responsible for the missile strikes on Syria, the report says.
Syrian media reported on Monday that several explosions were heard over the city of Latakia in Syria. A Syrian military official told the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) that missiles were fired from the Mediterranean Sea towards the port city, but were intercepted and downed by air defense. The Technical Industry Institution in the city had been targeted, SANA reported, adding that it was not immediately known who fired the missiles.
The Russian Defense Ministry issued an announcement Tuesday saying that Syrian anti-aircraft systems indeed downed the Russian aircraft. A defense ministry spokesman said Israel had warned the Russians a minute before the strike.
Russian defense officials accused the IAF of downing the IL-20, claiming Israeli fighter jets had used the Russian plane to shield their radar signatures – a claim Israel denied.
However, the IDF on Tuesday did admit to carrying out the strike in Latakia. “Overnight, IDF fighter jets targeted a facility of the Syrian Armed Forces from which systems to manufacture accurate and lethal weapons were about to be transferred on behalf of Iran to Hezbollah in Lebanon,” the IDF said.
According to an Israeli inquiry into the incident, the IL-20 was downed by one of the many surface-to-air missiles fired inaccurately by the Syrian air defenses following the IAF strikes. The inquiry further stressed that IAF aircraft were not present in the area when the IL-20 was hit by a missile and that the IL-20 itself had been outside of the combat zone during the strike.
On Thursday morning, senior IDF officials, led by IAF Commander Maj. Gen. Amikam Norkin, headed to Moscow in a bid to convince Russian security officials that Syrian SAM fired after the IAF jets had left the combat zone were responsible for the downing of the IL-20.
IAF commander and other IDF officials are expected to present the full IDF file on the incident, according to Israel National News, including the pre-mission information and the findings of the IDF inquiry regarding the event.
In addition, an IDF spokesperson said Wednesday night, the delegation will present evidence linking Iran to ongoing attempts to transfer strategic weapons to the Hezbollah terror organization and to establish an Iranian military presence in Syria.
Syrian air defenses shot down a Russian military plane with 15 service members on board trying to respond to an Israeli missile strike on Latakia. An Israeli delegation, headed by IAF Commander Amikam Norkin, will debrief Kremlin officials on the IDF inquiry regarding the event
By Dmitry Terekhov from Odintsovo, Russian Federation - Ilyushin IL-20M, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=48192003
A Russian military Ilyushin 20 (IL-20) surveillance aircraft with 15 service members on board went off the radar during an attack on Syria’s Latakia province, the Russian Defense Ministry confirmed.
According to RT, air traffic controllers at Khmeimim Airbase “lost contact” with the aircraft on Monday evening, and a search and rescue mission is underway.
CNN first reported that the Syrian Army air defenses accidentally shot down the Russian aircraft. A US official told CNN that the Syrians were trying to stop a barrage of Israeli missiles when the Russian aircraft was hit. A second official confirmed that Israel was responsible for the missile strikes on Syria, the report says.
Syrian media reported on Monday that several explosions were heard over the city of Latakia in Syria. A Syrian military official told the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) that missiles were fired from the Mediterranean Sea towards the port city, but were intercepted and downed by air defense. The Technical Industry Institution in the city had been targeted, SANA reported, adding that it was not immediately known who fired the missiles.
The Russian Defense Ministry issued an announcement Tuesday saying that Syrian anti-aircraft systems indeed downed the Russian aircraft. A defense ministry spokesman said Israel had warned the Russians a minute before the strike.
Russian defense officials accused the IAF of downing the IL-20, claiming Israeli fighter jets had used the Russian plane to shield their radar signatures – a claim Israel denied.
However, the IDF on Tuesday did admit to carrying out the strike in Latakia. “Overnight, IDF fighter jets targeted a facility of the Syrian Armed Forces from which systems to manufacture accurate and lethal weapons were about to be transferred on behalf of Iran to Hezbollah in Lebanon,” the IDF said.
According to an Israeli inquiry into the incident, the IL-20 was downed by one of the many surface-to-air missiles fired inaccurately by the Syrian air defenses following the IAF strikes. The inquiry further stressed that IAF aircraft were not present in the area when the IL-20 was hit by a missile and that the IL-20 itself had been outside of the combat zone during the strike.
On Thursday morning, senior IDF officials, led by IAF Commander Maj. Gen. Amikam Norkin, headed to Moscow in a bid to convince Russian security officials that Syrian SAM fired after the IAF jets had left the combat zone were responsible for the downing of the IL-20.
IAF commander and other IDF officials are expected to present the full IDF file on the incident, according to Israel National News, including the pre-mission information and the findings of the IDF inquiry regarding the event.
In addition, an IDF spokesperson said Wednesday night, the delegation will present evidence linking Iran to ongoing attempts to transfer strategic weapons to the Hezbollah terror organization and to establish an Iranian military presence in Syria.
