AFP :
Syria accidentally downed a Russian military aircraft with a crew of 15 onboard when its air defences went into action against an alleged Israeli missile strike, the Russian army said Tuesday.
The incident, which happened late Monday, was the worst case of friendly fire between the two allies since Russia’s game-changing military intervention in September 2015. The Russian Ilyushin dropped off the radar over the Mediterranean moments after Turkey and Russia announced a deal that offered millions of people reprieve from a threatened military assault in northern Syria.
There was no immediate word from Damascus, but the deadly air war sequence started when missiles struck the coastal region of Latakia on Monday.
Israeli pilots carrying out attacks on Syrian targets “used the Russian plane as a cover, exposing it to fire from Syrian air defences,” the Russian military said.
The plane downed by Syria’s Russian-made S-200 air defence had a crew of 15, who were all killed, Moscow said. The Russian government stressed that the incident would have no impact on the Idlib deal but warned Israel of reprisals and summoned its envoy in Moscow.
Moscow had earlier said rockets were fired from a French frigate positioned in the same area of the Mediterranean.
The French military denied any involvement. Syria state media reported late Monday that air defences had intercepted missiles targeting Latakia.
