Russia improves Syrian defense system in Israel

The ministry said Israel was "solely" responsible for the destruction of the IL-20 device last week. The plane was inadvertently shot down by Syrian forces during an Israeli air strike in the Syrian coastal province of Latakia. The Russian army accused Israel of maneuvering its plane to use a Russian aircraft "as a cover", putting it in the line of fire of the Syrian anti-aircraft system.

The Israeli army denied these accusations and said that she followed established protocols to contact Moscow, presenting full information about the incident to Russia as part of a review after action. During a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held the Syrian government and its Iranian allies responsible for the destruction of the Russian aircraft.

"Transferring advanced weapons systems to irresponsible hands will increase the dangers in the region," Netanyahu said during the phone call in response to the announcement. He added that Israel "will continue to defend its security and interests."

But Russia has argued that it has previously denied Israel advanced military equipment in Damascus. The fall of the plane prompted Moscow to reconsider its decision, according to the Russian Defense Minister.

"In 2013, at the request of the Israeli side, we suspended the delivery of the S-300 complex in Syria, which was ready for delivery and for which Syrian soldiers had been trained," said the Russian Minister of Defense. Defense, Sergei Shoigu.

"Today, the situation has changed, and it's not our fault."

Make Israeli airstrikes more difficult

Russia has argued that deploying the S-300 system would enhance the security of its contingent in Syria. The improved radar system allows Syrian ground-to-air missiles to better discern targets and helps prevent accidental firing of Russian planes.

But the new system potentially makes Israeli airstrikes in Syria more difficult. The range of the S-300 missile is about 250 kilometers, allowing defense systems that should be positioned in the coastal province of Latakia, in northern Syria, to cover the northern territories of Japan. Israel.

The Russian army operates a major air base in the province of Latakia, the same region where Israel conducted the airstrike last week.

The Russian army also announced that it was going to block communications and Global Positioning Systems (GPS) over the Mediterranean Sea, as Israeli planes often fly over for their bombing.

Russia served as an intermediary in the conflict in Syria, intervening on behalf of the Syrian government against rebel fighters while trying to alleviate Israel's security fears in the country. Last month, Russia declared that it had convinced its Iranian allies to withdraw at least 85 kilometers from the Israeli border, relieving Israel of a major security problem.

"This is an extremely thankless response to all that Russia has done recently for Israel and the Israeli people," Russian Defense Ministry spokesman General Igor Konashenkov said Sunday.

"The Israeli military command does not appreciate the current level of relations with Russia or does not control some military units," Konashenkov said. He said that during the September 17 attack, Israeli fighter jets approached the Russian IL-20 aircraft as it was preparing to land.

"Israeli fighter planes used the Russian II-20 aircraft as missile coverage and continued their maneuvers in the area," he added. The Russian army has also released an animation on its social media pages to illustrate its version of the events.

Putin discussed the delivery of the weapons system with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Monday, according to a statement by the Kremlin. The Russian leader refrained from pointing the finger at the Israelis, departing from the rhetoric of the Ministry of Defense. Last Tuesday, Putin called the incident a "string of tragic accidental circumstances because Israel did not shoot down our plane".