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President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that the shooting down of a Russian military plane near Syria's seacoast was the result of a chain of tragic and chance circumstances.
Russia's Defence Ministry said earlier that the aircraft was shot down by Syrian anti-aircraft systems, but accused Israel of indirectly causing the incident, saying Israeli jets operating nearby had put the Russian plane in the path of danger. The ministry threatened to retaliate over what it called a hostile act.
Putin's comments, made after talks with Hungary's prime minister in Moscow, appeared to somewhat defuse the situation though he said Russia needed to look further into what happened.
"I looks most likely in this case that it was a chain of tragic chance events, because an Israeli aircraft did not shoot down our aircraft. But, without any doubt we need to seriously get the bottom of what happened," Putin told reporters.
The Russian president said Moscow's response to the incident would aim at securing the safety of Russian military personnel in Syria's complex civil war in which various outside powers have backed opposing sides.
"As for retaliatory measures, they will be aimed first and foremost at further ensuring the safety of our military personnel and facilities in Syria. And these will be steps that everyone will notice," Putin said.
Russia's Defence Ministry said the Il-20 reconnaissance aircraft, with 15 Russian service personnel on board, was brought down by anti-aircraft batteries of Moscow's ally, Syria, in a "friendly fire" incident.
But the ministry said it held Israel responsible because, at the time of the incident, Israeli fighter jets were mounting air attacks on Syria targets and had only given Moscow one minute's warning, putting the Russian aircraft in danger of being caught in the cross-fire.
"We view the actions of the Israeli military as hostile," Russian Defence Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov told Russian state television. "As a result of the irresponsible actions of the Israeli military, 15 Russian service personnel perished."
Israel on Tuesday denied responsibility for the downing of a Russian military plane over Syrian territory, instead blaming Syria’s Assad regime for the incident. In a statement, the Israeli army expressed sorrow for the death of Russian military personnel who were aboard the ill-fated aircraft, which was downed by Syrian anti-aircraft fire in the early hours of Tuesday morning. “Israel holds the Assad regime, whose military shot down the Russian plane, fully responsible for the incident,” read the army statement. Putin says chance circumstances were behind downing of Russian plane“Israel also holds Iran and the Hezbollah terror organization accountable for this unfortunate incident,” it added. Earlier Tuesday, Russian officials said responsibility for the downed plane -- and the death of its 15-member crew -- lay solely with Israel. But according to the Israeli army, Israeli fighter jets had targeted a Syrian military facility used to manufacture weapons for use by Lebanon’s Hezbollah group, an ally of the Assad regime.According to the army statement, weapons produced at the facility posed an “intolerable threat” to Israel’s security. Israel's Netanyahu to speak to Russia's Putin: source“The Israeli and Russian army have a de-conflict system… which has proven itself many times in recent years,” the statement read.“This system was in use last night as well,” it added. The army went on to say that initial investigations into the incident had shown that inaccurate Syrian anti-aircraft fire had led to the downing of the Russian plane. “When the Syrian army launched the missiles that hit the Russian plane, Israeli Air Force jets were already back in Israeli airspace,” the statement asserted. Russia says Syria shot down one of its military planes, blames Israel“Syrian anti-aircraft batteries fired indiscriminately and, from what we understand, did not bother to ensure that no Russian planes were in the air,” it added. The Israeli government, the army continued, will share all relevant information with Moscow with a view to ascertaining pertinent facts of the incident. Early Tuesday, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced that a Russian Il-20 military aircraft -- with 15 servicemen aboard -- had disappeared over the Mediterranean Sea. The ministry later announced that the plane had been downed accidentally by Syria’s Russian-made S-200 air-defense system. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, Syrian air defenses had been trying to repel an attack by an Israeli F-16 when the Russian plane was shot down.
Israel denies responsibility for downing Russian plane
Israel Blames 'Inaccurate' Syrian Fire
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) expressed sorrow at the deaths but blamed the Syrian government and its allies Iran and Hezbollah. "Israel holds the Assad regime, whose military shot down the Russian plane, fully responsible for this incident," the IDF said in a statement.
It said the initial Israeli inquiry into the incident found that "extensive and inaccurate" Syrian surface-to-air anti-aircraft fire "caused the Russian plane to be hit and downed".
"The Syrian anti-air batteries fired indiscriminately and from what we understand, did not bother to ensure that no Russian planes were in the air," the statement said.
It added that by the time the Russian plane was struck, the Israeli jets were already out of Syria and back in their own airspace. The Russian plane was "not within the area of the operation" carried out by the Israeli jets, it said.
An Israeli diplomatic source said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was expected to speak shortly with Putin.
After the incident, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu told his Israeli counterpart, Avigdor Lieberman, that Moscow held Israel wholly responsible, Russian news agencies reported.
Israel's ambassador in Moscow was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry over the matter, ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.
Russian Blind Eye
Any row between Israel and Russia could restrict Israel's ability to carry out air strikes inside Syria on what it considers the greatest threat to its security from the Syrian conflict - build-ups of Iranian forces or groupings of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia.
Since intervening in Syria's civil war in 2015, Russia has generally turned a blind eye to the Israeli attacks on these targets. Israel has conducted about 200 such attacks in the last two years, according to Israeli officials.
Amos Yadlin, Director of Tel Aviv University's Institute for National Security Studies, said on Twitter the downing of the Russian plane could "limit the bid to stop Iran’s entrenchment in Syria and the transfers of advanced weapons to Hezbollah."
Russia on Tuesday accused Israel of a hostile provocation and threatened retaliation after Moscow blamed Israel for indirectly causing a Russian military plane to be shot down near Syria's Mediterranean coast.Russia's defence ministry, in a statement reported by Russian news agencies, said the Il-20 reconnaissance aircraft was brought down by anti-aircraft batteries of Moscow's ally, Syria, in a friendly fire incident.But the ministry said it held Israel responsible because, at the time of the incident, Israeli fighter jets were mounting air attacks on Syria targets and had only given Moscow one minute's warning, not enough time for the Russian plane to get to safety.Video: Israeli airstrikes target Syria’s coastal LatakiaThe defence ministry said 15 people were killed when the Russian plane was brought down as it came in to land at the Hmeymim air base in western Syria, which is controlled by Russian forces."As a result of the irresponsible actions of the Israeli military, 15 Russian service personnel perished. This absolutely does not correspond to the spirit of Russian-Israeli partnership," Interfax news agency quoted Russian Defence Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov as saying."We reserve the right to take commensurate measures in response," Konashenkov was quoted as saying.Konashenkov described the Israeli military's actions as hostile and an act of provocation, Interfax reported.Earlier, the Russian defence ministry had said the turbo-prop plane vanished from radar screens over Syria at the same time as Israeli and French forces were launching strikes on targets in Syria. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu spoke to his Israeli opposite number, Avigdor Lieberman, and told him Moscow holds Israel wholly to blame for the shooting down of a Russian military plane near Syria, Russian news agencies reported.A U.S. official said Washington believed the aircraft was inadvertently shot down by anti-aircraft artillery operated by Syrian government forces.Around the time the plane disappeared, the Syrian coastal city of Latakia came under attack from "enemy missiles", and missile defence batteries responded, Syrian state media reported.France denied any involvement in the plane's disappearance. Israel's military, contacted before Russia alleged Israel was to blame, declined to comment.France says not involved in disappearance of Russian plane over SyriaRussian military aircraft disappears from radar
Russia says Syria shot down one of its military planes, blames Israel
Threat of Retaliation
Moscow said its plane disappeared from radar screens as it was coming in to land at the Hmeymim air base in western Syria late on Monday.
According to the Russian Defence Ministry, the Israeli F-16 jets carrying out the air strikes used the Russian plane as cover to allow them to approach their targets on the ground without being hit by Syrian anti-aircraft fire.
"Hiding behind the Russian aircraft, the Israeli pilots put it in the line of fire of Syrian anti-aircraft systems. As a result, the Il-20 ... was shot down by the (Syrian) S-200 missile system," the ministry's Konashenkov said.
He said the Israeli pilots "could not have failed to see the Russian aircraft, as it was coming in to land from a height of 5 km (three miles). Nevertheless, they deliberately carried out this provocation," Konashenkov said.
"This absolutely does not correspond to the spirit of Russian-Israeli partnership. We reserve the right to take commensurate measures in response," he said, without giving details of what those measures would be.
The Israel military said that overnight its fighter jets had "targeted a facility of the Syrian Armed Forces from which systems to manufacture accurate and lethal weapons were about to be transferred on behalf of Iran to Hezbollah in Lebanon".
It said the weapons targeted in the Mediterranean coastal city of Latakia "were meant to attack Israel and posed an intolerable threat against it".
The IDF statement said the "deconfliction" system used by the Israeli and Russian militaries "was in use tonight", adding: "Israel will share all the relevant information with the Russian government to review the incident and to confirm the facts in this inquiry."
Several countries have military operations under way around Syria, with forces on the ground or launching strikes from the air or from ships in the Mediterranean. In some cases, those countries are backing opposing sides in the Syrian war.
Foreign powers involved in the conflict - including Israel and Russia - operate hotlines to exchange operational details to avoid one side accidentally attacking the other's forces.
However, diplomats and military experts have warned that the risk of inadvertent strikes is high.
France was not involved in the disappearance of a Russian military aircraft over Syria, a spokesman for the French military said on Tuesday.Russia's defence ministry said overnight that one of its military aircraft with 14 people on board disappeared from radar screens over Syria at the same time that Israeli and French forces were mounting aerial attacks on targets in Syria."We deny any involvement," Colonel Patrik Steiger told to journalists.
France says not involved in disappearance of Russian plane over Syria