RUSSIA BLAMES ISRAEL FOR DOWING PLANE, 15 PEOPLE DEAD
A Russian reconnaissance aircraft was shot down by a Syrian missile over the Mediterranean Sea, killing all 15 people on board, the Russian defence ministry said on Tuesday. It blamed Israel for the crash, saying the plane was caught in the crossfire as four Israeli fighters attacked targets in northwestern Syria.
The Russian military said the Il-20 reconnaissance aircraft was hit 35 km offshore on Monday as it was returning to its home base nearby.
“The Israeli pilots were using the Russian aircraft as a shield and pushed it into the line of fire of the Syrian defence,” defence ministry spokesman Maj Gen Igor Konashenkov said.
Defence 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. 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.
The Israeli military said 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”. It also blamed Iran and Hezbollah for what it described as an “unfortunate incident”.
The Russian defence ministry said a recovery operation has located the plane’s wreckage at sea and has retrieved some bodies and some fragments of the plane.
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