A recovery operation in the Mediterranean Sea is underway, Konashenkov said. Both the Israeli military and Israel's Foreign Ministry declined comment on the Russian claim
A Russian IL-20M (Ilyushin 20m) plane. Representation pic/AFP
A Russian reconnaissance aircraft was brought down by a Syrian missile over the Mediterranean, killing all 15 people on board, the Russian defence ministry said Tuesday. It blamed Israel for the crash, saying the plane was caught in the crossfire as four Israeli fighters attacked targets in northwestern Syria.
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The Russian military said that the Il-20 reconnaissance aircraft was hit 35 kilometres off the coast late Monday as it was returning to its home base nearby. "The Israeli pilots were using the Russian aircraft as a shield and pushed it into the line of fire of the Syrian defense," Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said in a statement.
A Russian defence ministry statement said defence Minister Sergei Shoigu told his Israeli counterpart, Avigdor Lieberman, that Israel is "fully to blame" for the deaths. The military said Israel did not warn it of its operation over Latakia province until one minute before the strike, which did not give the Russian plane enough time to escape. A recovery operation in the Mediterranean Sea is underway, Konashenkov said. Both the Israeli military and Israel's Foreign Ministry declined comment on the Russian claim.
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