Following an urgent meeting between Israeli and Russian military officials after the downing of a Russian spy plane over Syria, a 40-page report reveals that Syria shot down the aircraft while responding to an Israeli airstrike.
On the night of Sept. 17, a Russian Il-20 reconnaissance plane carrying 15 crew members was shot down just after Israel attacked a weapons depot outside Latikia believed to be connected to Iranian-backed terror.
Russia initially blamed Israel for the incident, but Israel responded that while it had, in fact, performed the attack—an official admission Israel makes only very rarely—it was not responsible for the downed aircraft.
Israeli officials traveled to Moscow on Thursday to present the report, which shows that Syria fired dozens of barrages indiscriminately for 40 minutes following the attack, long after the Israeli planes returned to home soil. According to the report, one of the missiles hit the plane, causing it to crash.
In the report, Israel noted that Syria has become much more aggressive with its response to Israeli airstrikes, with the May 10 “Operation House of Cards” against more than 50 Iranian targets across Syria being met with approximately 170 Syrian anti-aircraft missiles.
