Russia warned Israel against harming interests

Qods News Agency (Qodsna) The paper quoted security officials as saying that Moscow had recently conveyed a message to Tel Aviv that attacking Syrian targets was against its goal to strengthen Syrian President Bashar Assad’s legitimate government and would harm his attempts to end the fighting in the country.

According to the report, Zionist regime has refused to change its policy in Syria despite the Russian message.

The Russian Il-20 reconnaissance aircraft with 15 servicemen on board disappeared from radars on September 17 as four Israeli F-16 warplanes were attacking state institutions in Syria’s Latakia Province, which is home to the Russia-run Hmeimim Airbase.

The Russian Defense Ministry presented its latest findings on the Il-20’s downing on Sunday, blaming “misleading” information from the Israeli air force command for the downing of the Russian plane by Syria’s S-200 missile defense system and holding the Israeli regime fully responsible for the tragic event.

“We believe that the Israeli air force and those who were making decisions about these actions are fully to blame for the tragedy that happened to the Russian Il-20 plane,” Major General Igor Konashenkov said.

Russia also accused Zionist regime of using a hotline, set up between the two sides to avoid airborne collisions, to mislead Russia about its plans.

Konashenkov said an Israeli officer had told them about an operation in northern Syria while the jets were actually in Latakia, in the country’s west.

“The misleading (information) by the Israeli officer regarding the location of the strikes made it impossible to guide the Il-20 to a safe location,” he said.

Konashenkov also said the Israeli fighter jets deliberately used the Russian plane to shield them from Syrian air defense missiles after Israel hit targets near the coastal city of Latakia.

He also complained that Zionist regime has, over the years, waited until the last minute to notify Russia of its operations, putting Russian aircraft at risk.

According to Haaretz, Israel fears that Russia can influence its military activity through demanding greater warning time, deciding to close the airspace or requiring that more advanced air defense systems be put in place as a signal to Israel, among other things.

The Israeli military on Sunday rejected Konashenkov’s remarks, claiming that mechanisms to coordinate with Russia had been used properly ahead of the Il-20’s downing.

Russian jets have been conducting air raids against Daesh and other terror outfits inside Syria at the Damascus government’s request since September 2015.

On the contrary, Israel frequently attacks military targets in Syria in what is considered as an attempt to prop up terrorist groups that have been suffering heavy defeats against government forces.