In a breaking report CNN has cited Pentagon officials who say the missing Russian aircraft with 14 service members on board, now subject of a Russian search-and-rescue operation, was accidentally shot down by Syrian missile defense.
Pentagon sources say further that Israel was responsible for the nighttime attack, which reportedly involved strikes by air and possibly by sea from the Mediterranean. Israel has yet to issue comment.
But Russia says its radar picked up a French warship firing in the area just before the Russian patrol aircraft went down.
The CNN report continues:
The US found out about the incident because Syrian forces broadcast an emergency search and rescue radio call on an international frequency. The US then got a direct message from another country about the type of aircraft and circumstances of the incident. The official would not identify that country, but it is likely that Russia is the only nation that would know exactly what type of aircraft was shot down.
The Pentagon formally denied any US role in the attack soon after it was first reported.
This is sure to evoke a new round of dangerous and fierce US-Russia controversy over Syria as already there are accusations and counter-accusations amidst the breaking reports.
So a Russian Military Plane with 14 personnel on-board goes missing the same time Israel was launching strikes in Syria, and Syrian air defenses were firing en-mass in response, and a French Frigate reportedly launched a missile at the same time near the Syrian coast. #Problem
— Danny Makki (@Dannymakkisyria) September 18, 2018
Update:
The Russian Ministry of Defense cleared up the confusion surrounding the overnight downing of a Russian Ilyushin-20 reconnaissance plane on Tuesday when a spokesman revealed that Israel was indeed responsible for the attack, which resulted in the deaths of 15 Russian servicemen.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the plane was accidentally brought down by an aging Syrian S-200 defense system after Russia had scrambled its jets to respond to an attack by four Israeli F-16s on Syrian government targets. Israeli notified Russia of its attack over a shared hotline less than a minute before beginning the strike, giving the Kremlin little time to respond.
"As a result of the Israeli military’s irresponsible actions 15 Russian servicemen died," said Defense Ministry Spokesman Gen. Igor Konashenkov.
Israel has carried out roughly 200 strikes in Syria over the past year and a half as it pushes back against Tehran's growing presence in the war-torn battle zone.
Moscow has the right to "respond adequately" to the attack, Konashenkov said.
archive.fo
zerohedge.com
