Russian military aircraft inadvertently shot down by Syria

The Russian Defence Ministry confirmed on Tuesday that a Russian maritime patrol plane with 15 personnel on board was inadvertently shot down by the Syrian regime after it came under attack by Israeli missiles.

The Russian military said that while Syrian air defences shot down the aircraft on Monday night, Israel was to blame for putting it in the line of fire, CNN reported citing Russian media.

"As a result of the irresponsible actions of the Israeli military, 15 Russian servicemen were killed, which is absolutely not in keeping with the spirit of Russian-Israeli partnership," said Russian Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov, spokesperson for the Russian military.

The Ministry earlier on Tuesday said that connection had been lost at around 11 p.m. on Monday with the crew of the Ilyushin Il-20 aircraft over the Mediterranean Sea.

The incident reportedly occurred about 35 km from the Syrian coast as the aircraft was returning to the Hmeimim airbase near the north-western city of Latakia.

State news agency TASS said the aircraft went off the radars during an attack by four Israeli F-16 aircraft on Syrian targets in Latakia, where Russia has based much of its military presence, including aircraft.

Israel has not yet commented on the development.

Russia began military strikes in Syria in 2015 after a request from President Bashar al-Assad, who has stayed in power despite seven years of civil war.

--IANS

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