У побережья Сирии пропал российский самолет Ил-20
Translation
Off the coast of Syria lost Russian aircraft Il-20
The plane with 14 military disappeared during the attack of Israeli aircraft on Syria and missile launches from the French frigate
У побережья Сирии пропал российский самолет Ил-20
Russia has formally complained to Israel about its air raid on Monday, which led to the downing of a Russian Il-20 plane off the Syrian coast. Moscow has laid the blame for the crew’s deaths “squarely on the Israeli side.”
18 Sep, 2018 - ‘You are to blame for downing of Il-20 and death of its crew,’ Russia tells Israel
‘You are to blame for downing of Il-20 and death of its crew,’ Russia tells Israel
Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu spoke to his Israeli counterpart Avigdor Lieberman on the phone about the downing of the Russian Il-20 plane on Monday night. He relayed Moscow’s position on the incident, blaming the Israeli military for setting up the Russian plane to be shot down by Syrian air defenses, which were responding to an Israeli air raid, an official statement from the Russian military said.
Shoigu reiterated that Israel failed to notify Russia of the impending attack in a way that would have given its military an opportunity to move the Il-20 out of harm’s way. Instead, the warning came just one minute before the Israeli F-16 fighter jets launched their attack.
“The blame for the downing of the Russian plane and the deaths of its crew members lies squarely on the Israeli side,” the Minister Shoigu said. “The actions of the Israeli military were not in keeping with the spirit of the Russian-Israeli partnership, so we reserve the right to respond.”
Earlier, the Russian Defense Ministry said the Israeli jets had used the bigger Russian plane as cover during their attack on targets in Syria. The ministry said the Israelis must have known that they were putting the Russian plane at risk, but neither changed their battle plan nor gave a warning in time for the Il-20 to be moved to a safe area.
Israel later responded to the Russian statements, saying it had attacked a Syrian military site overnight. The IDF said the mission was to destroy arms-manufacturing equipment which they claim was to be delivered to Lebanon on behalf of Iran. Israel insisted that the responsibility for the Russian deaths was not on Israel, but on Syria and its allies, Iran and Hezbollah.
Published on Sep 18, 2018 (3:13 min.)
18 Sep, 2018 - Israeli army blames Damascus for Russia’s Il-20 downing, mourns death of crew – statement
Israeli army blames Damascus for Russia’s Il-20 downing, mourns death of crew – statement
Israel has blamed the Syrian government for the downing of the Russian Il-20 military plane in Latakia province, according to an IDF statement.
Israel said that it "expresses sorrow for the death of the aircrew members” of the Russian plane. However, it stated that the government of Bashar Assad “whose military shot down the Russian plane,” is “fully responsible” for the incident. Israel also put the blame for the “unfortunate incident” on Iran and the Hezbollah group.
In a series of tweets the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) explained that its jets were targeting a Syrian facility
“from which systems to manufacture accurate and lethal weapons were about to be transferred on behalf of Iran to Hezbollah in Lebanon.” It claimed that the weapons were
“meant to attack Israel.”
The IDF assumed that the Syrian anti-air batteries “fired indiscriminately” and didn’t “bother to ensure that no Russian planes were in the air.” The Israelis said that when the Syrian military launched the missiles which hit the Russian plane, its own jets were already within Israeli airspace. "During the strike against the target in Latakia, the Russian plane that was then hit was not within the area of the operation."
According to the Israeli military, both IDF and Russia have
“a deconfliction system,” which was agreed upon by the leadership of both states, and
“has proven itself many times over recent years.” The system was in use when the incident happened, the IDF stated. The IDF promised to share
“all the relevant information” with Russia
“to review the incident and to confirm the facts in this inquiry.”
The military presented a four-point initial inquiry into events in Latakia. It insisted that
“extensive and inaccurate” Syrian anti-aircraft fire caused the Russian jet
“to be hit and downed.”
The Russian Il-20 aircraft, with 15 crew on board, went off radar during an attack by four Israeli jets on Syria’s Latakia province late Monday. Later on Tuesday the Russian Defense Ministry said that an Israeli raid on Syria triggered a chain of events that led to its plane being shot down by a Syrian S-200 surface-to-air missile.
According to the ministry, on Monday evening four Israeli F-16 fighter jets attacked targets in Latakia after approaching from the Mediterranean. The Israeli warplanes approached at a low altitude and “created a dangerous situation for other aircraft and vessels in the region,” it said. The Il-20 plane was in the area during the Israeli operation.
“The Israeli pilots used the Russian plane as cover and set it up to be targeted by the Syrian air defense forces. As a consequence, the Il-20, which has radar cross-section much larger than the F-16, was shot down by an S-200 system missile,” the statement said, adding that the crew died as a result.
18 Sep, 2018 - Netanyahu tells Putin he expresses regret at loss of Russian lives
Netanyahu tells Putin he expresses regret at loss of Russian lives
Israeli PM Netanyahu has expressed “regret” to Vladimir Putin over the downing of Russia’s Il-20 plane. He pinned the blame for the incident on Syria, but added that Moscow and Tel Aviv should continue coordinating their efforts.
“Netanyahu stressed the importance of continuing coordination in the security area between Israel and Russia, which prevented many losses on the both sides over the past three years,” the press service said on Tuesday,
after Putin and the Israeli PM spoke by telephone.
18 Sep, 2018 - Putin on Israel’s role in Il-20 downing: ‘Looks accidental, like chain of tragic circumstances’
Putin on Israel’s role in Il-20 downing: ‘Looks accidental, like chain of tragic circumstances’
The downing of the Russian Il-20 plane looks like “a chain of tragic circumstances,” Vladimir Putin said in response to a reporter’s question on whether it could be compared to Turkey’s downing of a Russian military jet in 2015.
When people are dying – especially under such circumstances – it is always a tragedy,” President Putin said during a joint press conference with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Moscow on Tuesday.
Responding to a reporter’s question as to whether the incident in Latakia could be compared to the
downing of the Russian Su-24 by Turkey in 2015, Putin said the two situations were “
different.”
Ankara “deliberately downed” the Russian jet, he explained, while the Il-20 incident “looks like a chain of tragic circumstances, because the Israeli plane didn’t shoot down our jet.”
The incident has heated up political tensions, with the Russian military placing the blame for the incident on Tel Aviv. It said that the Israeli raid on Syria late on Monday had triggered a chain of events that led to the Il-20 being shot down by a Syrian S-200 surface-to-air missile. The downing jeopardized the reasonably good diplomatic relations enjoyed by Russia and Israel, casting doubt on whether these could be maintained.
Russia will investigate the incident, Putin said, adding that
Moscow will boost security of Russian troops in Syria following the incident. He said that these will be “the steps that everyone will notice.”
Following Putin’s remarks, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said that he had notified his Israeli counterpart Avigdor Lieberman that Moscow “
won’t leave Israeli actions unanswered.” He said the Russian jet had been downed by Syrian defense systems following their response to an attack by Israeli planes.
Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told TASS that the president is likely to hold phone talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later on Tuesday.
2018-09-18 - Putin says ‘chain of tragic random events’ behind IL-20 crash in Syria (video - 2:17 min.)
Putin says ‘chain of tragic random events’ behind IL-20 crash in Syria (video)
2018-09-18 - Breaking: Israeli envoy summoned to Russian Foreign Ministry after downing of IL-20 plane
Breaking: Israeli envoy summoned to Russian Foreign Ministry after downing of IL-20 plane
The Russian Foreign Ministry has officially summoned the Israeli Envoy to Russia in response to the downing of the IL-20 plane last night.
Russia is demanding Israel explain why they did not contact them prior to their large-scale assault on western Syria, which saw them target several areas across the Latakia, Hama, Homs, and Tartous governorates.
Israel did not warn the command of the Russian troops in Syria about the planned operation. We received a notification via hotline less than a minute before the strike, which did not allow the Russian aircraft to be directed to a safe zone.”
The Israeli attack on the IL-20 plane resulted in the death of at least 14 Russians, the Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu said in a statement.
“
The Russian Defense Ministry had said earlier that Russia’s Hmeimim Airbase had lost contact with the crew of the Russian IL-20 military aircraft with 14 servicemen on board late on Monday.”
Israel has yet to issue a public statement regarding this latest attack.
(Comment: In regards to "
Russia is demanding Israel explain why they did not contact them prior to their large-scale assault on western Syria, which saw them target several areas across the Latakia, Hama, Homs, and Tartous governorates.")
2018-09-17 - Breaking: Syrian air defense confronts missiles above western Syria
Breaking: Syrian air defense confronts missiles above western Syria
Minutes ago, the Syrian military activated its air defenses after a number of potential missiles/drones swarmed the provinces of Latakia, Homs, and Tartous.
According to one source, the attack was carried out by a number of armed drones that belonged to the jihadist rebels; however, another military source said that while it is still unclear, they believe it may be a foreign entity.
What is known at the moment is that the Syrian military has deployed several S-200 anti-aircraft missiles to defend the provinces.
More details to come…
2018-09-17 - Update: Large number of missiles hitting several Syrian provinces
Update: Large number of missiles hitting several Syrian provinces
At approximately 10:00 P.M. (local time), a large number of missiles struck the Latakia, Tartous, and Homs governorates of western Syria.
According to local reports, the missiles struck the cities of Latakia, Baniyas, Tartous, and Homs.
The majority of the missiles heavily targeted the industrial districts of these Syrian cities, prompting many locals to accuse Israel of carrying out the attack.
At approximately 10:15 P.M., a number of missiles were reported over the Hama province; this attack is still unconfirmed.
The Syrian air defense has been attempting to repel this attack; however, it appears that several of these missiles managed to strike their intended targets. More details to come…
2018-09-18 - Powerful explosion after missile hits Latakia city (video - 0:53 min.)
Powerful explosion after missile hits Latakia city (video)
A powerful explosion ripped through the provincial capital of Latakia, tonight, the Syrian Reporters Facebook page reported.
As shown in the footage below, the explosion could be seen from a far distance in Latakia city:
2018-09-17 - Large missile attack on western Syria came from sea – SANA
Large missile attack on western Syria came from sea - SANA
The large-scale missile strike on the western provinces of Syria reportedly came from the Mediterranean Sea, the state-owned Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA).
Several Syrian social media activists have taken to Facebook to accuse either the U.S. Coalition or Israeli military for the attack; however, it is still not clear.
On Sunday, it was
reported that several NATO warships were moving towards the Syrian coast, but the purpose of this move is still unknown.
As of now, the Syrian Air Defense is still targeting missiles above Latakia, as they attempt to defend their installations in western Syria.
2018-09-17 - Unconfirmed reports of Russian military intercepting missiles above west Syria
Unconfirmed reports of Russian military intercepting missiles above west Syria
A number of reports surfaced this evening about the Russian military allegedly deploying their air defense missiles over west Syria.
According to a number of pro-government Syria pages, the Russian military intercepted a number of hostile missiles over the Latakia and Tartous provinces.
The Russian Ministry of Defense has not commented on these claims nor released any statement regarding this latest attack on the western provinces of Syria.
Among the provinces reportedly targeted this evening were the Hama, Homs, Latakia, and Tartous governorates.
The missile attack began at approximately 10:00 P.M. (local time) and lasted until 11:00 P.M.
Tue Sep 18, 2018 - Military Expert: Terrorists Likely Collaborate with Israel in Lattakia Attacks
Farsnews
A prominent Syrian military expert said that the terrorist groups in Idlib have likely cooperated with Israel in the Monday night strikes on the Syrian army positions in Lattakia province.
Colonel Mare'i Hamdan told the Arabic-language service of Sputnik news agency on Tuesday that concurrent with the flight of Israeli fighter jets and missile attacks in Lattakia, witnesses reported that the Syrian army positions were also pounded with drones carrying ammunition.
He underscored Israel and the terrorists' common interests in targeting Lattakia, and said that Israel uses missiles in attacks on Syria and does not operate drones for targetting distanced areas.
Lattakia's Military Industries came under missile attack on Monday night, the country's state news agency reported on Tuesday.
SANA quoted a military source as reporting that the Syrian Air Defense countered intruding missiles fired from seas at Lattakia and managed to intercept some of them before reaching the targets.
In the meantime, FNA reported that a Center of the Military Industries of the Syrian Army in Lattakia in Western Syria came under missile attack.
SANA further added that the sound of several blasts in Lattakia sky was heard on Monday night, adding that the blasts came after a missile attack on the Technological Industries Center.
It went on to say that the Syrian air defense units intercepted some of the fired missiles.
SANA pointed to rumors about similar attacks on Tartus province South of Lattakia province and refuted the report on Banias Refinery.
In the first hours of the attack, some media sources reported that Israel military fired the missiles on targets in Lattakia and Tartus.
In the meantime, the Arabic-language al-Jazeera TV quoted Syrian officials as reporting that the Israeli fighter jets launched the missile attack from Lebanese airspace but SANA did not mentioned it in its report.
Meantime, the Arabic-language al-Arabiyah claimed that Humeimim airbase in Lattakia and also the village of Boulad in Homs province came under attack, but Syria's official sources did not confirm the claims.
SANA reported on Sunday that the Israeli fighter jets targeted several missiles at Damascus international airport on Saturday night.
It further said that the air defense units intercepted the Israeli missiles and managed to destroy them.
In the meantime, al-Moraseloun news website quoted a field source as saying that the air defense units fired four missiles at the Israel missiles that were flying towards Damascus international airport.
Another field source said that parts of the intercepted Israeli intruding missiles fell in a residential neighborhood near the airport, adding that the attack caused no human casualties.
2018-09-18 - Israel used Russian plane for cover before downing it near Syrian coast – MoD
Israel used Russian plane for cover before downing it near Syrian coast - MoD
The Russian Defense Ministry stated that a Russian Il-20 jet was downed by the Syrian Air Defense Forces after an Israeli F-16 used it as cover during its missile attack on Syrian targets. Defense Ministry Spokesperson Igor Konashenkov made the statement during a press briefing in Moscow on Tuesday.
According to the Russian Defence Ministry, four Israeli F-16 fighter jets attacked Syrian targets near the Latakia city on Monday evening, after approaching them from the Mediterranean Sea.
Konashenko said that the Israeli fighter jets approached at a low altitude and “deliberately created a dangerous situation for other aircraft and vessels in the area.”
He went on to say that “the bombing was carried out near the location of the French Navy’s frigate ‘Auvergne’ and in the immediate vicinity of the IL-20 aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces [VKS] that was coming to landing. The Israeli pilots used the Russian jet as cover and set it up to be targeted by the Syrian Air Defence Forces [SyADF].
As a result, the Il-20, whose radar cross-section is much larger than that of the F-16, was downed by an S-200 system missile.”
The Russian Defense Ministry spokesperson stressed that
the Israeli aviation control and F-16 pilots must have known about the presence of the Russian Il-20 jet in the area, noting that “nevertheless, they deliberately went ahead with this provocation.”
He added that Israel did not warn Russia about the planned operation, and that the warning came less than one minute before the strike, which he said “did not leave time to move the Russian plane to a safe area.”
Konashenko said that the Russian Defence Ministry regards “the Israeli provocative actions as hostile,” and that Moscow “[reserves] the right to an adequate response.”
2018-09-18 - Russian MoD says new ‘security system’ to be developed in Idlib
Russian MoD says new 'security system' to be developed in Idlib
The Russian and Turkish forces are developing a new security system in the Idlib Governorate, Russian Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu said in a board meeting today.
“Our Commander-in-Chief Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Mr. Erdogan held talks yesterday as part of efforts to resolve the situation in the Syrian Idlib de-escalation zone. The talks also involved defense ministers, foreign ministers and general staff chiefs,” he said.
“Following long negotiations, the parties agreed on a decision, which makes it possible for us to say that the construction of a new security system in the Idlib de-escalation zone begins today,” Shoigu added.
He pointed out that a memorandum on stabilizing the situation in Idlib, signed by Russia and Turkey, “implies that by October 10, heavy weapons must be withdrawn from the demilitarized zone, which will be 15 to 20 kilometers wide.”
“In addition, all the radical groups will have to leave the zone by October 15. That includes the ISIL [the former name of the Islamic State terror group – TASS], Jabhat al-Nusra [both outlawed in Russia – TASS] and those on the United Nations’ list of terrorist organizations,” the Russian defense chief said.
“Civilians both in Aleppo and the Idlib de-escalation zone should have access to this highway before the end of the year,” he added.
Sep 18, 2018 - Russia blames Israel for plane shot down by Syrian missile
Russia blames Israel for plane shot down by Syrian missile
A Russian reconnaissance aircraft was shot down by a Syrian missile over the Mediterranean Sea, killing all 15 people on board, the Russian Defense Ministry said Tuesday. It blamed Israel for the crash, saying the plane was caught in the crossfire as four Israeli fighters attacked targets in northwestern Syria.
[...] [...]
The Russian Defense Ministry said a recovery operation located the plane's wreckage at sea and has retrieved some bodies and some fragments from the plane. A specialized ship carrying submersibles was heading to the area to join the operation.
Tue Sep 18, 2018 - Syria Welcomes Decision of Russia, Turkey on Idlib
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13970627001024
Syria welcomes the agreement between Russia and Turkey on the situation in Syria’s Idlib province, which became the result of intensive consultations between Moscow and Damascus, the SANA news agency reported on Tuesday, citing a source in the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates.
"Syria welcomes the agreement on the situation in the Idlib Governorate that was declared yesterday in the Russian city of Sochi and stresses that this agreement became the result of intensive consultations and full coordination between the Syrian Arab Republic and the Russian Federation," SANA quoted the source as saying.
It was noted that Syria "supports any initiative directed at ending the bloodshed in the republic and also capable of restoring peace and security in any area of the country".
The statement noted that the Syrian Arab Republic "will continue the fight against terrorism until the last swath of Syrian territory is liberated, no matter whether it will be a military operation or a local reconciliation".
The source added that "the specified agreement has a strict deadline". The document is also "the continuation of the earlier agreements on the de-escalation of tensions that have been reached during the Astana process since 2017."
Russia and Turkey agreed to create by October 15 a demilitarized zone in Syria’s Idlib Governorate along the contact line between the Syrian government forces and the armed opposition. This is the result of the four-hour negotiations held between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday.
Tue Sep 18, 2018 - Syrian Media: Damascus to Enter Idlib in Third Phase of Sochi Agreement
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13970627000654
The Syrian army will deploy in Idlib by the end of this year after implementation of the three stages of the Sochi agreement, media sources reported on Tuesday.
The Arabic-language al-Watan newspaper quoted Russian diplomatic sources as saying that
the Russian-Turkish agreement on Idlib will be implemented in three stages, adding that the first stage will go into effect by mid October to create a 15 sq/km weapons-free zone near Idlib city.
Also, in the second stage monitored by Moscow and Ankara, the heavy weapons will be collected from the region until November 10 and the terrorists will leave the civilian areas, they said, adding that in the third stage which lasts to the end of this year, state bodies will resume operation in Idlib.
The sources said that if the terrorist groups do not accept this agreement, they will be considered as enemy of the Turkish army and will be fought.
Meantime, the Arabic-language al-Akhbar newspaper underlined that
the Russian-Turkish agreement will create new challenges on Idlib, and said such an agreement is not possible practically because Turkey is now faced with a too difficult mission in which it has earlier failed.
The paper added that convincing the terrorist groups, including Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at (the Levant Liberation Board or the Al-Nusra Front), Turkistani, Horas al-Din and Ansar al-Islam, which have set up their important bases in the afore-mentioned 15-km zone to disarm and leave will not be easy.
Leaders of Russia and Turkey agreed to establish a de-militarized zone in Syria's Idlib province, in a move that ostensibly puts on hold a threatened all-out military operations by government forces on Syria's last terrorist bastion.
The announcement was made on Monday during a press conference in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, where Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Speaking alongside Erdogan, Putin said the 15-20km-wide zone would be established by October 15.
This would entail a "withdrawal of all radical fighters" from Idlib, including the al-Nusra Front, Putin said, referring to Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham.
Putin added that heavy weapons would be withdrawn from all opposition forces by October 10 - an approach supported by the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Oh - Shekel's!
Russia, Iran, Turkey and Syria might just have played this very smart
