Russia says passenger plane nearly 'shot down' as Syrian regime targeted Israeli jets

The Airbus A320 jet was almost blown up on its approach to the Syrian capital Damascus shortly after 2am after Syria fired anti-aircraft missiles in response to an alleged Israeli attack, according to Russian state agency RIA.

The plane diverted safely to Russia's nearby Khmeimim military air base, a Russian Air Force spokesman said.

"At the time of the attack by Israeli planes... an Airbus-320 airliner was on approach to landing... in the death zone of air strikes and artillery," Russia's defence ministry said.

"The recourse to civilian aircraft as cover or to block a riposte by Syrian forces during military air operations has become characteristic of the Israeli air force," it charged.

Israeli radars have "a clear view of the situation in the skies around Damascus airport," the Russian army said, accusing Israel of "making a total mockery of the lives of hundreds of innocent civilians".

The near miss occured as Israeli warplanes launched airstrikes at targets in southern Syria, according to Syrian state media.

Russian Air Force spokesman Igor Konashenkov said the incident followed airstrikes launched by four Israeli F-16 fighter jets, which hit eight air-to-ground missiles in Damascus without entering Syrian airspace.

Read More: 'Humanity is dying': Syrians feel abandoned by the world

He said the plane that narrowly avoided being hit was traveling from Tehran to Damascus.

Last month a Ukrainian passenger jet was shot down by a missile launched by Iran shortly after taking off from Tehran, killing all 176 passengers and crew. 

Iran recently took responsibility for two missiles that were fired at the Ukrainian airliner, sparking angry protests.

The country's civil aviation authority said it has yet to receive a positive response after requesting technical assistance from France and the US to decode black boxes from the downed airliner.

The Ukrainian jet was hit by a member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps after Iran fired retaliatory strikes at US positions in Iraq. This came after the United States killed a senior Iranian commander, Qasem Soleimani.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring group, said airstrikes on Thursday hit the positions of Iran-backed militia, killing 23 people, including Syrian and Iranian fighters.

[Click to enlarge]

Idlib burning

Last month, Damascus accused the Israeli air force of carrying out an attack on the T4 airbase in central Syria, which the Observatory said killed at least three Iran-backed militiamen.

In December, the Observatory said Israeli air strikes killed three foreigners fighting alongside government forces south of the capital.

The previous month, the Israeli army claimed responsibility for a wave of air strikes against Syrian military sites and Iranian forces that killed 23 people including 16 foreigners.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said positions of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards foreign operations arm were among the targets.

The war in Syria has killed more than 500,000 people and displaced millions since it started in 2011 with the brutal repression of pro-democracy protests.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram to stay connected