Russia to study Israeli data related to downed plane

Syrian forces mistook the Russian Il-20 for Israeli aircraft, killing all 15 people aboard on Monday.

1 min read

20 September, 2018

Syrian forces mistook the Russian Il-20 for Israeli aircraft [Getty]

The Kremlin says that Russian President Vladimir Putin has accepted Israel's offer to share detailed information about its air raid, which triggered fire by Syrian forces that downed a Russian reconnaissance plane.

Syrian forces mistook the Russian Il-20 for Israeli aircraft, killing all 15 people aboard on Monday.

Russia's Defence Ministry blamed the plane's loss on Israel, but Putin sough to defuse tensions, pointing at "a chain of tragic accidental circumstances."

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu called Putin on Tuesday to express sorrow over the death of the plane's crew, blamed Syria and offered to dispatch Israel's air force chief to Moscow to provide details.

Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday that Russian experts will study the data to be provided by the Israeli air force chief.

The downing underlines the potential for conflict between the powers vying for influence in Syria, as well as highlights an apparent lack of communication between Russian aircraft in the skies and Syrian defences on the ground, giving a damning appraisal of the Assad regime's military capabilities, analysts told The New Arab.

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