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JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel has proved in Moscow that it has no responsibility for the destruction of a Russian plane in Syria, an Israeli military official said on Friday.
Fifteen members of the Russian crew were killed on Monday by an IL-20 surveillance aircraft near Latakia in northern Syria. Russia said Syria shot down the plane shortly after Israeli planes hit a target in the area.
At first, the incident seemed to provoke friction between Israel and Russia, with the Moscow Defense Ministry accusing Israel of indirectly causing it. But President Vladimir Putin later called it "a chain of tragic and fortuitous events".
An Israeli delegation led by its chief of the air force presented his findings on the incident in Moscow, "including recordings of conversations between the Israeli Air Force and the Russian air component in Syria," said the Israeli official. . condition of anonymity.
"We proved that Syrian anti-aircraft fire was the direct cause of the collision with Russian planes. They shot in the air in a very reckless and irresponsible way, long after our planes were gone, "said the official.
More than 20 Syrian anti-aircraft missiles were fired during the incident, he added.
"Our Russian counterparts asked a few questions, these questions were answered," said the official. "Our impression is that the discussions were professional and the information was well accepted."
The Russian Defense Ministry initially criticized Israel, saying it had only given Moscow a warning minute before its planes attacked, putting the Russian plane at risk.
But the Israeli official said: "We definitely gave a warning, a duration much longer than a minute. We acted in accordance with standard operating procedures in force with the Russian Army. "
Any dispute between Israel and Russia could diminish Israel 's ability to conduct air strikes inside Syria against what it considers to be the greatest threat to the security of Israel. Israel against the civil war – Iranian forces.
Since its intervention in Syria in 2015, Russia has generally turned a blind eye to Israeli attacks. Israel has launched about 200 such raids in the past two years, according to Israeli officials.
The Israeli official said the meeting in Moscow was an opportunity to improve the mechanism that countries use to prevent unintended confrontations.
"But our freedom of movement is paramount … IDF (Israel Defense Forces) will continue to implement our strategic interests," the official said.
Report by Ari Rabinovitch, edited by Stephen Farrell, William Maclean
