Russia, Israel at odds over downed flight

BEIRUT — Tensions between Russia and Israel reignited on Sunday after Russia’s Defense Ministry issued a harsh critique of Israel’s role in the downing of a Russian plane in Syria last week, despite previous efforts to smooth over the rift.

Releasing the results of an inquiry into the incident, in which a Russian IL-20 plane was shot down on Sept. 17 by a Syrian antiaircraft missile during an Israeli airstrike, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Gen. Igor Konashenkov said the actions of Israeli fighter pilots showed “a lack of professionalism, or, at a minimum, criminal negligence.”

Fifteen Russian servicemen were killed on board the plane, one of the highest tolls in a single incident for regular Russian troops since Russia’s military intervention in Syria three years ago.

By failing to give adequate warning of its intention to strike in the area, in the vicinity of Russia’s main Hmeimim military base in Syria, Israel violated Russian-Israeli agreements intended to deconflict their air operations in Syria, Gen. Konashenkov said. He said an Israeli jet had used the Russian plane as cover, thereby exposing it to Syria’s antiaircraft fire.

Gen. Konashenkov called Israel’s behavior “highly ungrateful” in light of the measures Russia has taken in Syria to accommodate Israeli demands, including, he said, relocating Iranian troops from the border of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and providing Russian patrols in the area.

Israel responded with a statement disputing the Russian findings, saying that it had already presented Russia with a detailed account of the incident that demonstrated that Israel had acted within the boundaries of Russian-Israeli agreements.