Moscow Summons Israeli Ambassador Over Military Plane Downed In Syria

The Russian ministry on Tuesday summoned Gary Koren, Israeli ambassador to Russia, over the former nation’s military plane, which was shot down near Syria’s Mediterranean coast.

"The Israeli ambassador has been summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry in connection with the current situation," a ministry spokesperson told reporters Tuesday.

Earlier in the day, Russia had accused Israel of "hostile provocation," which indirectly led to the firing, and threatened to retaliate.

The Il-20 reconnaissance aircraft was brought down by anti-aircraft batteries of Moscow’s ally, Syria in a friendly fire incident, Russia’s Defense Ministry said. They added the military plane had 15 Russian service personnel’s on board.

The ministry blamed Israel for the strike as, at the time, Israeli fighter jets were mounting air attacks on Syrian targets after providing Moscow with a warning only a minute before the raids began. According to the ministry, this put the Russian aircraft in direct danger of being caught in the crossfire between the Israel and Syria.

“We view the actions of the Israeli military as hostile,” Russian Defence Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said. “As a result of the irresponsible actions of the Israeli military, 15 Russian service personnel perished.”

Several countries have forces on the ground, air, and water around Syria. Sometimes, these countries are involved in the many-sided armed conflict in the Middle Eastern nation as well.

In such cases, foreign powers use a hotline to exchange operational details to avoid accidental attacks between them. However, Russia accused Israel was too late in informing them about the attack, due to which they did not have time to retract their forces from the area.

According to a Reuters report, Israel’s military, Prime Minister’s Office and the Foreign Ministry declined to comment on the incident.

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu informed his Israeli counterpart, Avigdor Lieberman, that Moscow held them completely responsible for the plane being shot down. The call was confirmed by the Israeli Defence Ministry, but they declined to give further details regarding the incident, Reuters reported.

The plane completely disappeared from the radar screens of Russian authorities Monday evening as it was coming to land at the Hmeymim air base in western Syria. Moscow said it happened right around the time when Israeli jets and French naval vessels were conducting air strikes on targets in the same area from where the plane vanished.

The ministry also accused the Israeli F-16 jets of using the Russian plane as cover so they could reach their targets on the ground without being hit by Syrian anti-aircraft fires.

“Hiding behind the Russian aircraft, the Israeli pilots put it in the line of fire of Syrian anti-aircraft systems. As a result, the Il-20 ... was shot down by the (Syrian) S-200 missile system,” Konashenkov said.

He added the Israeli pilots “could not have failed to see the Russian aircraft, as it was coming in to land from a height of 5 km (three miles). Nevertheless, they deliberately carried out this provocation.”

Konashenkov added the move by the pilots did not correspond to the “spirit of Russian-Israeli partnership.”

“We reserve the right to take commensurate measures in response,” he said, but did not explain what those measures might be.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters the country was extremely worried by the incident, and added Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his condolences for those who died due to the strike.

Over the past few years, the relationship between Israel and Russia was cordial. Moscow was also trying to act as a mediator between Israel and Iran.

At a military parade on Moscow’s Red Square in May this year, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was a guest of Putin.