Russia blames Israel for downing of spy plane in Syria

Moscow on Sunday blamed Israel for the downing of a Russian spy plane during an Israeli air raid in Syria last week, saying its military had been misled by the Israel Defense Forces about the location of the airstrike, The Times of Israel paper said.

In a press briefing, the Russian defense ministry rejected the findings of the IDF about the incident and insisted that the Israeli pilots who conducted the raid on a Syrian military facility in Latakia used the Russian reconnaissance aircraft as cover during their assault — something Israel has repeatedly denied.

The Israeli military did not immediately respond to the Russian allegations, but a spokesperson said the IDF was preparing a statement.

Israeli fighter jets conducted the airstrike on a weapons facility in the coastal city of Latakia last Monday night. During the Assad regime’s air defenses counterattack, the Russian spy plane was shot down, and its 15 crew members were killed.

Israel blamed the Assad regime military’s “reckless” launching of its air defenses.

The Russian government’s announcement came two days after an Israeli delegation returned from Moscow, having presented the IDF’s version of events to the Russian military’s top brass.