In the evening, the office of the Russian base in the Khmeimim province lost contact with the IL-20 aircraft of the Russian Federation. Information promulgated by the Ministry of Defense.
The plane abruptly cut off communications over the territory of the Mediterranean Sea at a distance of 35 km from the coastal zone of Syria. The crew consisted of 15 people, all of whom died. At first, their fate was unknown, but further details became clear. An operation was launched to search for the remnants of the aircraft and the bodies of military personnel. Nearby the port facility Tartus was already a rescue tug of the naval forces "Professor Nikolai Mourou", which began to search.
It is noted that during the disappearance of the aircraft were recorded 4 Israeli aircraft, attacking Latakia.
Also reported that the radar stations were seen missiles launched from a ship belonging to France. It was located near the place of disappearance. As a result, it became known that the plane was shot down by Syrian air defenses, which repelled an attack by Israeli fighters. Many sources speak of provocation by the Israeli military. The Russian side is not trying to blame Syria, but on the contrary considers Israel guilty of this.
The IL-20 is a radar reconnaissance and electronic warfare aircraft based on the IL-18 passenger aircraft. These machines performed well during combat conflicts, having established themselves as reliable and safe military aircraft.
Israel’s refusal to comment on the plane’s loss
Despite the complexity of the situation, no comment was made by the Israeli side at the time of the disappearance. Information began to appear only after the exact causes of the crash were made public.
“We will not comment on foreign statements,” an Israeli army spokesperson explained to RIA Novosti after consulting with her superiors.
Possible reasons voiced by different media
Arab media published information about the attack of the Israeli air force and the French ship on the Syrian Latakia. They point to the suspicious coordination of the actions of the Israeli and French military. It is also said that Israel raised several fighters into the air, the purpose of which was to form the Hezbollah movement.
The plane disappeared from the radar extremely suddenly, it may indicate an attack of anti-aircraft installations or missiles of the ground-to-air class. The following is unknown: if the IL-20 carried out the interference, as they say in some media, did he have a cover.
Already received information about the possible accidental impact of the air defense system of Syria, reflecting rocket attacks. This is indicated by CNN, referring to the Pentagon.
MIA "Russia Today", referring to a representative of the Ministry of Defense, claims that the plane was shot down by the S-200 complex, because the Israeli pilots specially executed the maneuver, substituting our plane under attack.
The publishing house Argumenty i Fakty promulgated an article stating that the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, after talking with the Israeli side, put the responsibility for the crash of our aircraft on the Israeli side. “Israel’s fault lies with the Russian plane and the death of the crew. Now Russia has the right to respond to such actions,” he said.
It also became known that the Israeli Prime Minister plans to hold a telephone conversation with Vladimir Putin.
Israel does not consider itself guilty
After a long delay, the first statements by the Israeli side nevertheless appeared, in which they completely deny their guilt. They blame Damascus and the Hezbollah movement for this, while admitting that their planes were performing combat missions in the area.
It is noted that Israel is grieving over the death of the Russian crew and is ready to provide all necessary assistance in investigating the incident. Representatives of the Israeli military structures say they warned the Russian side about the upcoming operation.
“There are certain agreements between our armies signed by the leaders. We used them even that night,” the statement said.
Why didn't the "friend or foe" system work?
"The system of alien or stranded, downed Il-20, probably did not work, because Israeli fighters were nearby, who were making dangerous maneuvers. The air defense naturally received a signal from someone else. The rockets themselves are arranged in such a way that they are independently looking for a strong signal "- shared his opinion, Lieutenant General Beezhev.
