Russian Defense Ministry Says Israeli Air Force Responsible For IL-20 Crash

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd September, 2018) The Russian Defense Ministry believes that the Israeli Air Force should be blamed for the crash of Russia's IL-20 military jet near Syria, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said on Sunday.

"The presented objective data testifies that the actions of the Israeli fighter pilots, which led to the loss of life of 15 Russian servicemen, either lacked professionalism or were an act of criminal negligence to say the least. Therefore, we believe that the blame for the tragedy with the Russian Ilyushin Il-20 aircraft lies entirely with the Israeli air forces and those who made the decision to carry out such actions," Konashenkov said at a briefing.

The spokesman also stressed that the Israeli jets were maneuvering in the vicinity of Hmeimim airfield, which is used by passenger aircraft as well as military ones.

"Thus, the Israeli jets created a direct threat to any passenger or transport aircraft that could have been there at that time and could have become victims of the adventurism of the Israeli military," Konashenkov added.