Putin says downing of Russian plane was 'accidental'

World
Europe

02:20

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that the shooting down of a Russian military plane near Syria's seacoast was the result of "tragic accidental circumstances."

"It looks most likely in this case that it was a chain of tragic chance events because an Israeli aircraft did not shoot down our aircraft. But, without any doubt, we need to seriously get to the bottom of what happened," the president told reporters.

The downed plane dropped off the radar over the Mediterranean after Turkey and Russia announced a deal that offered millions of people reprieve from a threatened military assault in northern Syria's Idlib province.

Statues of soldiers are displayed in front of the Russian Defense Ministry headquarters in Moscow, Sept. 18, 2018. /VCG Photo

The deadly chain of events started when Israeli missiles struck the coastal region of Latakia.

Israel said it had targeted a Syrian military facility where weapons manufacturing systems were "about to be transferred on behalf of Iran" to Lebanese Shi'ite group Hezbollah.

It seems Iran's military presence in Syria as a threat, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Putin by phone on Tuesday his forces would keep acting against it.

"Israel is determined to stop Iranian military entrenchment in Syria, and the attempts by Iran, which calls for the destruction of Israel, to transfer to Hezbollah lethal weaponry (to be used) against Israel," the prime minister added.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a joint press conference in Moscow, June 7, 2016. /VCG Photo

Israel expressed "sorrow" for the Russian deaths, but insisted the Russian plane had been felled by "extensive and inaccurate Syrian anti-aircraft (surface-to-air missile) fire."

The Kremlin said Putin also warned Netanyahu against carrying out such operations in the future.

He "reminded" Netanyahu that such operations "violated Syrian sovereignty" and said, "agreements around the prevention of dangerous incidents were not observed."

"The president of Russia urged the Israeli side not to allow such situations from now on," the statement added.

Since intervening in Syria in 2015, Russia has usually turned a blind eye to Israeli attacks as the country has launched about 200 such raids in the last two years.

(With inputs from agencies)