Israel keeps freedom of action in Syria

Regime gave ‘proof’ to Russians their plane was shot down by ‘reckless’ Syrian batteries

Israel’s coordination with Russia on its attacks in Syria remains unchanged despite the deadly downing of a Russian plane, and the regime retains its right to decide on military actions, an Israeli official said on Friday.

Syrian air defences mistakenly shot down the military plane following an Israeli raid on Monday night, killing 15 Russians and fuelling speculation Moscow would seek to curb Israeli actions in Syria.

Israel, which carries out regular strikes against progovernment forces in wartorn Syria, has a deconfliction agreement with key regime backer Russia, to avoid clashes between their respective air forces.

An Israeli military official, speaking to journalists on condition of anonymity, said on Friday that the deal remained in place.

“There have been no changes to the de-confliction mechanism as a result of this unfortunate event,” he said.

The two sides committed to the “very effective” mechanism but stressed that Israel’s “freedom of movement is paramount”, the official added.

Israel and Russia created the mechanism in 2015, when Russian forces intervened in Syria’s civil war to support its ally President Bashar Al Assad.

Despite the mechanism, Syrian air defences on Monday night mistakenly struck a Russian Il-20 military plane after an Israeli raid on a Syrian army facility, killing all the crew members.

‘Irresponsible’

Israelis “provided proof” to the Russians that their plane had been shot down because the Syrian batteries had “fired recklessly, irresponsibly and unprofessionally, long after our planes were no longer there,” the official said.