Russian Defense Minister: Israel Bears Full Responsibility For Downing of IL-20 Off Syrian Coast
https://southfront.org/russian-defense-minister-israel-bears-full-respon...
"Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu officially stated that Israel bears full responsibility for the downing of a Russian IL-20 plane off the Syrian coast because its actions had led to this situation.
'The blame for the downing of the Russian plane and the death of its crew members lies squarely on the Israeli side,' Shoigu said during a conversation with Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman on the phone. 'The actions of the Israeli military were not in keeping with the spirit of the Russian-Israeli partnership, so we reserve the right to respond.'
Earlier, the Russian Defense Ministry revealed that Israeli warplanes used the IL-20 to hide from Syrian air defense fire during the Sept 17 strike on targets in the war-torn country. 'By using the Russian plane as a cover the Israeli pilots made it vulnerable to Syrian air defense fire. As a result, the Ilyushin-20, its reflective surface being greater than that of an F-16, was downed by a missile launched with the S-200 system,' Konashenkov said."