Russian officials have blamed Israel for this week's plane shootdown in Syrian airspace
In the early hours of Tuesday, Israeli F-16s entered Syrian airspace with a view to striking Syrian military targets in the northwestern Latakia province.
Israeli officials later claimed the intended target was an arms factory, weapons from which were meant to be transferred to Lebanon’s Hezbollah, an ally of Syria’s Assad regime and a bitter enemy of Israel.
When Syria’s Russian-built S-200 air-defense system responded to the airspace breach, a Russian Il-20 military plane was struck by a missile, destroying the aircraft and killing all 15 servicemen on board.
The Russian Defense Ministry held Israel “solely responsible” for the incident, accusing it of committing “irresponsible actions” over Syrian territory.
“By hiding behind the Russian plane, Israeli pilots put it in the line of fire,” read a ministry statement issued after the incident.
