by Ariel Kahana, Lilach Shoval, Erez Linn, News Agencies and Israel Hayom Staff
Israeli official: Mini-crisis with Russia will subside in a matter of weeks.
Russian Defense Ministry spokesman, Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov
speaks at the Russian Defense Ministry in Moscow earlier this year
Photo: AP
"We believe that
the blame for the Russian Il-20 aircraft tragedy lies entirely with the
Israeli Air Force," Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor
Konashenkov said Sunday, after days of blame shifting over the downing of a Russian military plane off the Syrian coast last week.
On Sept. 17, a Russian reconnaissance plane
carrying 15 crew members was shot down by Syrian anti-aircraft fire
responding to an Israeli missile strike on a facility in Latakia. All 15
Russian crew members aboard the aircraft were killed, prompting a
strong rebuke from Russia and appearing to cause friction between Israel
and Russia.
The Defense Ministry in Moscow initially
accused Israel of indirectly causing the incident, charging that an
Israeli warning came less than a minute before the strike, leaving the
Russian aircraft in the line of fire. But Russian President Vladimir
Putin later called it "a chain of tragic, chance events."
Israel, meanwhile, placed the blame squarely on Syria.
In a detailed account of the events leading
up to the incident, the Russian Defense Ministry accused Israel on
Sunday of using the Russian aircraft as cover for its attack on a Syrian
facility.
In its report, the Russian Defense Ministry
revealed previously undisclosed radar data and communications between
Russian and Israeli figures, and concluded that "the military leadership
of Israel either has no appreciation for the level of relations with
Russia, or has no control over individual commands or commanding
officers who understood that their actions would lead to tragedy,"
Russian news network RT reported.
According to Konashenkov, the Israeli Air
Force left the Russian aircraft "virtually no time for any safety
maneuvers, in a clear violation of the 2015 Russian-Israeli agreements."
His remarks rested on claims by Russian officials that Israel provided
"less than a minute" of warning before launching its strike. Israeli
officials have dismissed this claim, with one official telling Israel
Hayom it was "much more than one minute."
In a briefing Sunday, Konashenkov said that
the Israeli warning also failed to specify the exact target of the
strike, citing only a planned strike on "industrial facilities" in
northern Syria. The spokesman called this "misinformation," and said it
prompted the Russian command to order its reconnaissance plane back to
base, where it came under Syrian fire.
"Once the Syrian air defenses responded to
the initial strike, the Israeli jets switched on radar jamming and
pulled back, apparently preparing for another attack. One of the jets
then approached the Syrian coast – and the Russian plane that was
preparing to land," Konashenkov said, explaining that the Russian plane
could easily appear to the Syrians as part of the Israeli attack and
insisting that the Israeli pilots "must have been well aware" of this.
He went on to say that Israel's "reckless
actions" could have also jeopardized "any passenger or transport
aircraft that may have happened to be in the area" at the time of the
strike.
"This is an extremely ungrateful response
to all that has been done by the Russian Federation for Israel and the
Israeli people recently," Konashenkov said.
In the coming weeks it will become clearer whether Israel's run-in with Russia will curtail its freedom to maneuver in Syria.
Israel says its jets targeted a Syrian
facility that held weapons for the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah,
noting it alerted Russia ahead of time as per deconfliction agreements.
Earlier Sunday, an Israeli government
official estimated that the "mini-crisis" with Russia would subside
within a matter of weeks. According to the official, the countries'
respective interests in Syria had not changed and therefore relations
would return to normal over the long term.
"The Russians understand we don't want and
didn't want to harm them and they also understand Israel's need to act
in Syria," the official said, "which is why they have permitted the
coordination mechanism until now."
In that vein, an IDF official said the
army's deconfliction line of communication with Russia, designed to
coordinate the two countries' respective air force activities in Syria,
would be streamlined following the incident.
In accordance with protocol, the IDF
official spoke anonymously Friday after an Israeli delegation returned
from Moscow where they briefed officials.
The delegation, led by air force chief Maj.
Gen. Amikam Norkin, presented Moscow with its findings on the incident,
"including recordings of the conversations between the Israeli Air
Force and the Russian Air Force component in Syria," said the official.
"We proved how the reckless Syrian
anti-aircraft fire was the direct cause of the hit on the Russian
aircraft. They fired quite recklessly and irresponsibly and
unprofessionally into the air long after our planes were no longer
there," the official said.
More than 20 Syrian anti-aircraft missiles were fired during the incident, the official said.
"Our Russian counterparts had a few
questions, those questions were answered," the official added. "Our
impression is that the discussions were professional and that the
information was well received.
"We acted in accordance with the standard
operating procedures that are in place with the Russian military. But
our freedom of movement is paramount. ... The IDF will continue to
implement our strategic interests."
Ariel Kahana, Lilach Shoval, Erez Linn, News Agencies and Israel Hayom Staff
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/2018/09/23/russia-blames-israel-entirely-for-plane-shot-down-over-syria/
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