Alwaght- Russian President Vladimir Putin blamed the Israeli regime’s aerial operations in the Syrian airspace as flagrant violation of Syrian sovereignty as tensions are simmering between Moscow and Tel Aviv over the downing of the Russian Ilyushin Il-20 reconnaissance aircraft in the western Syrian province of Latakia.
“Putin pointed to the fact that the Israeli air force has been conducting operations in breach of Syria’s sovereignty. In this case, Russian-Israeli agreements on the prevention of dangerous incidents were not observed. As a result, a Russian airplane came under fire from Syria’s anti-aircraft systems. The President of Russia called for the Israeli side to avoid such situations from now on,” the Kremlin press service quoted Putin as telling Israeli regime's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by phone on Tuesday.
Russia’s Defense Ministry has held Israel responsible for the downing of the Il-20 military aircraft by Syrian government anti-aircraft guns, stating that Israeli regime jets were attacking targets in Syria at the time of the incident and such provocations put the Russian plane in danger of being caught in cross-fire.
“The Israeli regime pilots used the Russian plane as cover and set it up to be targeted by the Syrian air defense forces,” the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.
“We view the actions of the Israeli military as hostile. As a result of the irresponsible actions of the Israeli military, 15 Russian service personnel perished,” Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov told Russia’s state-run television network.
Meanwhile, Syria's Ambassador to the United Nations Bashar al-Jaafari has censured the latest Israeli regime's aggression on his country, stating that the incident is in line with the Tel Aviv regime’s aggressive policies and an attempt to boost the morale of terror groups, which are taking heavy blows on the battlefield in the Arab state.
