REVIEW - Russian Defense Ministry Lays Blame For Il-20 Crash On Israel After Disclosing Timeline

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd September, 2018) The Russian Defense Ministry on Sunday laid responsibility for the crash of a Russian Il-20 off the Syrian coast on the Israeli Air Force, disclosing the minute-by-minute timeline of the tragedy which claimed lives of 15 Russian servicemen on September 17.

On Sunday, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov held a briefing, making public the minute-by-minute account of events based on the radar information, including the one obtained from the Plotto air information display system.

According to the ministry, the objective data shows that the actions of the Israeli F-16 fighter pilots were either evidence of unprofessionalism or were an act of criminal negligence to say the least.

The Il-20 military aircraft, which was 22 miles off the Syrian coast, was shot down on September 17, while returning to the Hmeimim airbase. Meanwhile, four Israeli F-16 aircraft were bombing Syrian targets in the province of Latakia.

The Russian Defense Ministry said that Israel notified Russia of the airstrikes only a minute before their beginning. The ministry also said that the Israeli pilots used the Russian aircraft as a shield against Syrian air defense systems. As a result, the Il-20 jet was downed by a missile launched by Syria's S-200 air defense system.

During the briefing, Konashenkov stressed that the established fact that the Israeli Air Force notified Russia of its September 17 bombings of Syrian targets simultaneously with their start instead of doing it in advance was "a clear violation of the 2015 Russian-Israeli agreements aiming to prevent clashes between our armed forces" in Syrian airspace.

Moreover, the Israeli Air Force provided Russia with misleading information concerning the area of its airstrikes in Syria, which prevented the commander of the Russian Il-20 jet from moving timely to the safe zone and led to its crash.

"During the negotiations via the deconfliction channel, the representative of the Israeli Air Force Command reported that the targets assigned to the Israeli aircraft are located in Northern Syria ... As you can see on the map, the Israeli jets delivered strikes in Latakia which is a western province of the country - and not in the north of the Syrian Arab Republic. The city of Latakia is located on the western coast," Konashenkov said.

As a result, the commander of the Il-20 flying over the north of Syria was immediately ordered to leave the area and head south to return to the military base, the spokesman noted.

Israel also did not provide any information about the location of the F-16 jets, Konashenkov added.

He also said that at 9:59 p.m. local time (18:59 GMT) one of the Israeli jets "started maneuvering toward the Syrian coast, approaching the Ilyushin Il-20" that was about to make a landing. The maneuver was interpreted by the Syrian air defense units as another attack on the part of Israel.

"At 10:03 p.m. a Syrian anti-aircraft missile engaged the largest and closest target, which was the Ilyushin Il-20 airplane," Konashenkov pointed out.

It happened because Israeli fighter pilots used the Russian jet as a shield against Syrian air defenses, while being well aware that Il-20's "much larger radar cross-section" made it a preferred target for any anti-aircraft missile, the official clarified.

ATTEMPT TO SURVIVE AND BELATED OFFER OF HELP

The Il-20 commander reported a fire onboard and began emergency descent after the aircraft was hit by the missile.

At 10:07 p.m., the Il-20 jet with 15 people onboard disappeared from radars, according to the data provided by the ministry.

At 10:29 p.m., an officer of the Russian Command in Syria reported to an officer at the Israeli Air Force Command post that the Il-20 aircraft had been in distress, demanding "that the Israeli aircraft leave the area," so that Russian forces could launch a search and rescue operation.

Despite the calls, the Israeli jets left the area only at 10:40 p.m. local time, the ministry's data showed.

At 10:53 p.m., which is 50 minutes after the Russian plane was hit by a missile, the Israeli officer on duty contacted the Russian side, saying that they had cleared the area and "if you need assistance, we are ready to help."

The ministerial spokesman empathized that the tragic incident caused by Israel's dangerous maneuvers took place in the direct vicinity of the Hmeimim airfield "used not only by military but also civilian passenger aircraft."

According to Konashenkov, Russia has never breached the bilateral agreements with Israel on prevention of incidents in Syrian skies and has not activated its air defenses deployed in Syria, "despite the fact that Israel's air strikes caused situations that potentially threatened the safety of Russian servicemen."

He emphasized that Russia had issued 310 notifications regarding its operations in Syria compared to only 25 given by Israel.

The spokesman noted that Russia had been prepared to assist Israel in locating the remains of the Israeli soldiers in Syria, but Israel's hostile actions "cross the line of civilized relations."

Konashenko also listed a number of efforts that Russia had taken in a bid to address Israel's security concerns.

Russia, for instance, facilitated the withdrawal of all Iran-backed formations from the Golan Heights at Israel's request.

"[As a result], a total of 1,050 personnel, 24 multiple launch rocket systems and tactical missiles, as well as 145 pieces of other munitions and military equipment were withdrawn," Konashenkov noted.

At the request of Israel, the Russian Command in Syria repeatedly assured Israel that no sensitive munitions and equipment shipped from Russia to Syria would end up in the possession of a third party, he added.

"Israel has repeatedly stressed the importance of the work carried out by the Russian Ministry of Defense in this area and expressed gratitude to Russian specialists," Konashenkov said.

He also recalled that six observation posts of the Russian military police were set up along the Bravo line providing security for the UN mission staff's return.

The move made it possible to rule out any strikes from Iran-backed formations on Israel, he stressed.

Just hours after the briefing of the Russian Defense Ministry, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) issued a statement, in which it set out its version of developments in Syria on September 17.

The IDF recalled in its statement that the Israeli military delegation led by Air Force Commander Amikam Norkin presented the IDF After Action Review (AAR) of the incident with Russia's Il-20 aircraft during its visit to Moscow on Thursday.

The Israeli party, in particular, insisted that its fighters did not used Russia's Il-20 jet as a shield against the Syrian air defense and refuted the information of the Russian Defense Ministry about the Israeli jets' time of return to the Israeli air space.

"The AAR was conducted and presented in a thorough, detailed and professional manner. The comprehensive, accurate and factual details are known to the relevant professionals in the Russian military, and they clearly state that: the deconfliction mechanism operated in the relevant timeframe (as it has been operating over the last two and a half years); the IAF did not hide behind any aircraft and that the Israeli aircraft were in Israeli airspace at the time of the downing of the Russian plane," the IDF said.

The IDF stressed that it would proceed with its operations aimed at countering Iran's military presence in Syria and the Islamic republic's attempts to deliver arms to Lebanon's Hezbollah movement.

"The IDF will continue to operate in accordance with the directives of the Israeli Government against Iran's incessant attempts to establish itself in Syria and to arm the terrorist organization Hezbollah with lethal and accurate weapons," the IDF statement read further.

The Israeli military extended its condolences to the families of the Russian servicemen killed in the Il-20 incident, stressing that the security of the Russian military staff was an important element determining Israel's military actions in Syria.

"The safety and well-being of the Russian troops who operate in Syria are a focal component in every approval of any activity by senior officials in the IDF and in Israel. The IDF will continue to take all necessary measures, as it has been doing until this very day, to achieve this goal," the IDF said.

The Israeli party also noted the effectiveness of the Russian-Israeli coordination and called for its continuation to counter various regional challenges.

"The coordination between the IDF and the Russian military has proven its value numerous times over the last years. The continuation of the coordination is a shared interest in light of the various regional challenges," the IDF said.

Following the Russian Foreign Ministry's briefing and the response of the IDF, Konashenkov issued a separate statement warning against the misrepresentation of the report of the Russian military on the Il-20 downing.

"I would like to address those, who would attempt to misrepresent or refute the presented information. The Russian Defense Ministry also has other compelling data about the September 17 tragedy, proving the materials presented at the briefing," Konashenkov stressed.

The Russian Defense Ministry's spokesman underlined that the Russian side also used the materials provided by the Israeli side in the preparation of the briefing.