Israeli General's Visit To Moscow Aimed To Refute Il-20 Crash Accusations - IDF Source

TEL AVIV (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 21st September, 2018) The Israeli military delegation, during its visit to Moscow, proved the inconsistency of accusations that Israeli planes used the Russian Il-20 as a shield from Syrian air defense fire, a high-ranking military source in Tel Aviv said Friday following the visit.

According to him, the materials brought by the delegation led by Israeli Air Force Commander Maj. Gen. Amikam Norkin refute that version and prove that the cause of the Russian reconnaissance aircraft's crash was "thoughtless" fire from the ground.

"Throughout the meetings, we stressed that there is no justification for the theory that this was an Israeli provocation or Israeli planes, at least somehow, used the Russian Il-20 as a shield. We presented evidence that refutes this untrue story... We proved that thoughtless fire from the ground became the direct cause of the Russian aircraft's crash," the source said.

He said Israel believes military talks in Russia on the downed Il-20 jet were professional, and that the Russian side perceived the information positively, adding that Israel is ready to provide Russia with any additional information that may be required to establish the causes of the crash.

The source said Israel's data shows Syrian air defense systems fired over 20 missiles when the Israeli aircraft already left the area.

He also said Israel believes its priority task is to preserve freedom of action in Syria.

The Russian Defense Ministry said earlier this week that contact with Russia's Il-20 returning to the Hmeimim airbase was lost late on September 17. The ministry said that around that time four Israeli F-16 fighters attacked Syrian targets in Latakia. It said that Israeli pilots put the Russian aircraft under the attack of Syria's air defenses, and the Il-20 was shot down by an S-200 missile. Fifteen Russian servicemen were killed.

The Defense Ministry said Israeli aircraft deliberately created a dangerous situation in Latakia. Israel had not warned the command of the Russian group of troops in Syria about the planned operation in the area. The Russian military said it regards Israel's provocative actions as hostile and reserves the right to a proper response.