Putin Calls Downing of Russian Plane in Syria ‘Tragic’

JERUSALEM — Syrian anti-aircraft batteries responding to an Israeli airstrike Monday night downed a Russian military plane, killing 15 of its service members, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

The downing of the plane in what Russia called a case of “friendly fire” raised immediate questions about the Israeli military’s freedom of action inside Syria, where Israel has been able to mount more than 200 airstrikes in two years thanks in large part to Russian forbearance.

But that speculation was dampened Tuesday by Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, who laid blame for the crash of the Russian Ilyushin Il-20 surveillance aircraft on “a chain of tragic accidental circumstances” and not just on Israel.

Earlier, the Russian Defense Ministry had angrily accused Israel of hiding its F-16s behind the Russian plane, effectively turning the less stealthy Russian Il-20 into a target for Syria’s antiaircraft missiles. Russia also suggested that Israel had abused the countries’ coordination system that is meant to avoid such accidents by providing only a minute’s notice before its fighters struck a Syrian air base — too little time for the Russian plane to be kept out of the crossfire.

“We reserve the right to take adequate measures in response,” Igor Konashenkov, a spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry, had said, the news agency Interfax reported.

The Israeli Defense Forces released a lengthy statement that expressed sorrow for the loss of life.