MOSCOW/JERUSALEM—Russian President Vladimir Putin said the downing of a Russian jet flying over Latakia by Syrian anti-aircraft missiles in retaliation for an Israeli strike in Syria was a “tragic chain of circumstance.”
He added that Russia needs to investigate the matter further. Putin said Israel did not shoot down the plane.
On Monday, an Israeli strike in Syria resulted in the deaths of 15 Russians after a Syrian anti-aircraft missile struck the jet, a IL-20, in response.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigo spoke on the phone with his Israeli counterpart Avigdor Lieberman and told him that Moscow holds Israel wholly to blame for the shooting down of the plane. The Russian Foreign Ministry summoned Israel’s ambassador Tuesday afternoon and said the downing of the military plane was the result of an Israeli “provocation.”
IDF Spokesman Brig.-Gen. Ronen Manelis addressed the downing of the Russian plane. “Israel expresses its regret over the death of the crew members of the Russian plane that was downed tonight due to Syrian anti-aircraft fire,” read the statement released by the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit.
“Israel holds the Assad regime, whose military shot down the Russian plane fully responsible for this incident. Israel also holds Iran and the Hezbollah terror organization accountable for this unfortunate incident, ” he said.
Manelis confirmed that the IDF had struck a Syrian military facility from which systems to manufacture accurate and lethal weapons were about to be transferred on behalf of Iran to Hezbollah in Lebanon.
“These weapons were meant to attack Israel and posed an intolerable threat against it,” he said.
According to the preliminary investigation launched by the Israeli Air Force, the Russian Ilyushin military plane was not within the area of operation of Israeli jets, and when it was struck all Israeli jets which took part in the operation had already returned to Israeli territory.
“The Syrian anti-aircraft batteries fired indiscriminately and from what we understand, did not bother to ensure that no Russian planes were in the air,” Manelis said, adding that “the extensive and inaccurate Syrian anti-aircraft missile fire cause the Russian plane to be hit.”
An Israeli diplomatic source said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was scheduled to have a phone call with President Putin.