Friendly fire downs Russian Il-20 plane

Moscow blames Israel for loss of surveillance jet to Syrian fire

BEIRUT/MOSCOW - Syria accidentally downed a Russian military aircraft with a crew of 15 onboard when its air defenses went into action against an alleged Israeli missile strike, the Russian army said on Tuesday.

The incident, which happened late on Monday, was the worst case of friendly fire between the two allies since Russia's military operation in Syria began in late 2015.

The Russian Il-20 surveillance plane dropped off the radar over the Mediterranean moments after Turkey and Russia announced a deal that offered millions of people reprieve from a threatened military assault in Idlib.

There was no immediate word from Damascus, but the deadly air war sequence started when missiles struck the coastal region of Latakia on Monday.

Israeli pilots carrying out attacks on Syrian targets "used the Russian plane as a cover, exposing it to fire from Syrian air defenses," Russian military spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in televised remarks.

An Israeli air force's F-16 launched an attack on targets near Syria's Latakia on Monday around 10 pm when a Russian Il-20 was landing, he said.

"The Il-20, which has a much bigger reflective surface than the F-16, was struck down by an S-200 rocket," he said.

"As a result of irresponsible actions of Israeli military, 15 Russian servicemen have died."

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu called his Israeli counterpart, Avigdor Lieberman, later on Tuesday to say that Israel is "fully to blame" for the deaths, the ministry said in a statement.

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.

Shoigu added that Russia "reserves the right" to respond to Israel's actions.

The Russian ministry made no further mention of a French frigate the Russian Defense Ministry had earlier claimed also opened fire from the area on Monday.

The French army had denied any involvement and Syria state media had reported late on Monday that air defenses had intercepted missiles targeting Latakia.

Israeli airspace

The Israeli military said in a statement on Tuesday that its jets were already within Israeli airspace when the incident occurred. Israel offered condolences over the death of the Russian troops but said it holds the Syrian government "fully responsible".

Israel has conducted frequent raids in recent months against Syria's military infrastructure. Earlier in September, Israel admitted carrying out 200 strikes in Syria over the past 18 months.

The jet vanished from radar just hours after Russia said there would be no assault against Idlib as the presidents of Russia and Turkey agreed on a "demilitarised zone" in the rebel-held province.

After more than four hours of talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin at his residence in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan said their two countries would "prevent a humanitarian tragedy".

Putin said the two leaders agreed to create the demilitarised zone between 15 and 20 kilometers wide along the line of contact between rebels and regime troops by Oct 15.

It would entail a "withdrawal of all radical fighters" from Idlib including the al-Nusra Front and also the withdrawal of heavy weaponry including tanks, multiple launch rocket systems, Putin said.

Iran, the third member of the Astana process aimed at ending the 7-year civil conflict in Syria, praised the deal as an example of "responsible diplomacy".

The UN had warned that a fully-fledged ground assault aimed at completing Damascus' military victory over the rebels could spark the worst humanitarian catastrophe yet in a conflict that has killed more 360,000.

The deal marked a significant agreement between the two leaders and effectively delays an offensive by Syria and its allies, one that Turkey said would spark a humanitarian crisis near its border.

Syrian forces have massed around Idlib province in recent weeks, sparking fears of an imminent air and ground attack to retake the last major opposition bastion.

Afp - Reuters - Ap - Xinhua

(China Daily 09/19/2018 page11)