MOSCOW, September 18. /TASS/. The Israeli embassy in Russia does not comment on an incident involving a Russian Ilyushin Il-20 aircraft downed in Syria on the night of September 17, an embassy spokesman told TASS.
"We don’t comment on this incident," the spokesman said.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, at about 23:00 Moscow time (20:00 GMT) on September 17, contact was lost with a Russian Il-20 aircraft flying over the Mediterranean Sea back to the Russian Hmeymim air base in Syria. The ministry said the aircraft had disappeared from radar during an airstrike carried out by four Israeli F-16 fighter jets on targets in the Syrian province of Latakia.
On Tuesday morning, the Russian Defense Ministry stated that the Il-20 aircraft had been accidently downed by Syrian air defenses as the Israeli F-16 jets had been using it as a cover. The ministry added that it considered such actions by Israel to be hostile and reserved the right to take retaliatory steps.
