Russian military aircraft inadvertently shot down by Syria

Russia on Tuesday confirmed that a Russian military reconnaissance aircraft carrying 15 personnel was mistakenly shot down by Syrian air defences during an Israeli missile strike on targets in Syria.

The Russian Defence Ministry said the Il-20 maritime patrol aircraft was brought down on Monday night after Syrian air defence systems responded to an attack by Israeli fighter jets. Moscow, however, blamed Israel for creating the circumstances that led to the Russian aircraft being hit.

Russian military spokesperson Major General Igor Konashenkov said the incident was the result of what he described as irresponsible actions by the Israeli military and said all 15 Russian servicemen aboard the aircraft were killed.

The Russian Defence Ministry had earlier said contact with the crew of the Il-20 was lost at around 11 p.m. on Monday while the aircraft was flying over the Mediterranean Sea.

According to reports from Russian state media, the aircraft was approximately 35 km from the Syrian coast and was returning to Russia's Hmeimim airbase near Latakia when it disappeared from radar.

State news agency TASS reported that the aircraft went off radar during an Israeli attack involving four F-16 fighter jets targeting Syrian military positions in the Latakia area. Russia maintains a significant military presence in the region, including aircraft and personnel stationed at Hmeimim.

The Russian military said Syrian air defence systems had mistakenly targeted the Russian aircraft while responding to the Israeli strike. Moscow's statement has therefore placed the incident at the centre of growing tensions involving Russia, Israel and Syrian forces operating in the conflict zone.

Israel had not immediately commented on the incident.

Russia intervened militarily in Syria in 2015 after receiving a request from President Bashar al-Assad. Russian military support has since played a major role in helping Assad's government regain territory during the country's prolonged civil war.

The loss of the Il-20 and its crew marks a serious incident for Russia's military operations in Syria and could further complicate Moscow's relations with Israel, which has repeatedly carried out strikes against Iranian and Syrian-linked military targets in the country while seeking to avoid a direct confrontation with Russian forces.