MOSCOW, Feb 8 (NNN-SANA) – The Russian Defence Ministry, revealed that the Israeli enemy aircraft, during their attacks against some areas surrounding Damascus, used a civilian aircraft as a shield, against Syrian anti-aircraft systems, and endangered dozens of passengers.
Spokesman for the Russian Defence Ministry, Igor Konashenkov, said that, a civilian Airbus-320, with 172 passengers on board, was about to land at Damascus International Airport at the time, when Israeli F-16 fighter jets carried out airstrikes from outside the Syrian territory, on Damascus suburbs and near Damascus International Airport
The civil Airbus-320 was forced to divert to the nearest alternative airfield and land in Hmeimim Air Base, near Latakia, in northwest Syria, he said.
Konashenkov clarified that, practices of Israeli General Staff, in carrying out its air attacks using passenger plane to impede the work of Syrian Air Defence systems, is becoming a strategy used by Israeli air force, paying no heed to civilians’ lives.
