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2018-09-18 Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Report: Syria mistakenly downs Russian plane as it attempts to repel alleged Israeli strike
[IsraelTimes] 14 servicemen aboard plane which went missing over Mediterranean; Syria claims 2 killed after Israel fires missiles from Lebanese airspace toward chemical weapons-linked facility

A Russian military plane with 14 servicemen aboard was accidentally shot down by Syrian air defenses as they tried to repel an alleged Israeli strike on Monday, a US official told CNN.

The official added that the plane was downed by a Russian-made missile system which was sold to Syria.
Whoops! Still, it looks like the thing works as promised.
Russian state news TASS said the IL-20 disappeared over the Mediterranean on Monday evening.

According to TASS, the ministry of defense said "the mark of IL-20 went off the radars disappeared during the attack of four Israeli F-16 aircraft on Syrian targets in the province of Latakia."

Israel does not regularly comment on alleged strikes in Syria.

A Syrian facility linked to the country’s chemical weapons program was bombed on Monday night, triggering Syrian air defenses, state media reported.

The state-run al-Ikhbariya TV reported loud kabooms in the coastal Latakia province, saying they were likely from Israeli strikes targeting a state company for technical industries.
It looks like this tacit threat wasn’t all that tacit...
The Syrian army said that Israel fired missiles from Lebanese airspace, adding that two people were killed in the attack and the facility was severely damaged, Hadashot reported early Tuesday.

A spokesperson for the US Department of Defense denied that the American military was behind the attack, telling the Voice of America news outlet, "I can unequivocally say this is not us."

Syrian military sources told SANA that the attack came from the direction of the sea and targeted an Organization for Technological Industries center in Latakia.

The sources also claimed the country’s air defenses shot down a number of incoming missiles. The Syrian army has regularly been accused of exaggerating its interception capabilities.

The attack caused a large kaboom and knocked out power to the surrounding area, according to local media.

The Organization for Technological Industries is a subsidiary of the Syrian Ministry of Defense and has been tied to the developments of both missiles and chemical weapons.

The Britannia-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported the kabooms, saying the target appeared to be an ammunition depot, part of the compound of the organization. The war monitoring group said it was not clear if the depot was for Iranian or Syrian forces.

The strikes followed a similar attack on Damascus International Airport late Saturday, which Syrian state media also blamed on Israel. A military official quoted then on state media said Syrian air defenses intercepted some missiles coming from the sea.
Russia Today adds:
Air traffic controllers at the Khmeimim Air Base "lost contact" with the aircraft on Monday evening, during the attack of Israeli F-16 fighters on Latakia, said the Russian Defense Ministry. The plane was 35 kilometers off the coast of Syria when it vanished.

A search and rescue mission is underway.

Russian radars also registered the launch of missiles from a French frigate in the Mediterranean on the evening of September 17.

The Ilyushin 20 (IL-20) surveillance turboprop plane is an Electronic Intelligence (ELINT) platform, equipped with a wide range of antennas, infrared and optical sensors. The aircraft's SLAR (Side-Looking Airborne Radar) and the plane's satellite link allows the Russian military to monitor Syrian skies in real time.

An hour-long attack on Latakia began around 10 pm local time, and targeted a power station as well as two facilities belonging to the Syrian military. Syrian officials said the attack was "foreign" and came "from the sea," but could not initially confirm rumors that Israel was behind it. Seven people were maimed in the attack, according to Syrian officials.

While the Russian military said it recorded four F-16 Israeli jets over Syria at the time of the attack on Latakia, the IDF has refused to comment on the report.
Posted by trailing wife 2018-09-18 00:00|| || Front Page|| [17 views ]  Top
 File under: Govt of Syria 

#1 Russian military plane vanishes from radar over Syria
Posted by Skidmark 2018-09-18 01:21||   2018-09-18 01:21|| Front Page Top

#2 bet you're wondering why selling AA to the syrians seemed like such a good idea.....
Posted by Unang Spaique6301 2018-09-18 01:30||   2018-09-18 01:30|| Front Page Top

#3 
Posted by g(r)omgoru 2018-09-18 02:39||   2018-09-18 02:39|| Front Page Top

#4 Mistaken identity?

Mysterious Mideast ascriptions:
If Russia is having conniptions,
Refer to past slips...
And aren't airplanes like ships?
Say, those vicious old Hunt-class Egpytians?

Posted by Zenobia Floger6220 2018-09-18 03:45||   2018-09-18 03:45|| Front Page Top

#5 Russia blasts Israel's 'deliberate provocation' after Syria attack

Posted by g(r)omgoru 2018-09-18 06:10||   2018-09-18 06:10|| Front Page Top

#6 Well, Russian weapons work against Russian vehicles. But you'll notice the Israelis got through and completed their mission...
Posted by Rob Crawford 2018-09-18 07:30||   2018-09-18 07:30|| Front Page Top

#7 IL 20 is a big slow target compared to the F-16.

Whoever is on the Syrian air defense team that shot down the IL-20 is likely to be court-martialed or even executed.
Posted by lord garth 2018-09-18 09:06||   2018-09-18 09:06|| Front Page Top

#8 Perhaps the Russian aircraft Identification training module needs to be lengthened ?
Posted by Besoeker 2018-09-18 10:07||   2018-09-18 10:07|| Front Page Top

#9 A system proven in combat - the sales brochure will read.
Posted by Procopius2k 2018-09-18 10:08||   2018-09-18 10:08|| Front Page Top

#10 Da! Even "Chimp" version works xorosho.
Posted by Sleack Snusolet8698 2018-09-18 10:50||   2018-09-18 10:50|| Front Page Top

#11 That is what happens in a clustered and confused airspace.

I wouldn't be surprised if the Israeli F-16s came up close to where the IL-20 was, fired missiles and hauled ass out of there with the thought they could use the Russians as cover.

Worked better than expected.
Posted by DarthVader 2018-09-18 12:07||   2018-09-18 12:07|| Front Page Top

#12 "The Israeli pilots were using the Russian aircraft as a shield and pushed it into the line of fire of the Syrian defense," Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said in a statement.
Russia said Israel did not warn it of its operation over Latakia province until one minute before the strikes, which did not give the Russian plane enough time to escape. The official added that the plane was downed by a Russian-made missile system which was sold to Syria.

Karma!
Posted by Eohippus Dribble5682 2018-09-18 12:20||   2018-09-18 12:20|| Front Page Top

#13 Kursk-like finger pointing all over again.
Posted by gorb 2018-09-18 13:15||   2018-09-18 13:15|| Front Page Top

#14 the best tweet
Posted by newc 2018-09-18 13:50||   2018-09-18 13:50|| Front Page Top

#15 Putin: Israel did not shoot down Russian jet, situation needs more investigation

The big boss has spoken. The little people, covering their asses, are to zip.
Posted by g(r)omgoru 2018-09-18 14:57||   2018-09-18 14:57|| Front Page Top

#16 Looks like Syrian radar worked as advertised. IFF iis iffy though.
Posted by Alaska Paul 2018-09-18 16:09||   2018-09-18 16:09|| Front Page Top

#17 Those Juice with their radar-confusing mind rays!
Posted by Frank G 2018-09-18 19:41||   2018-09-18 19:41|| Front Page Top

09:28 Lord Garth
09:16 DarthVader
09:15 Raj
09:14 DarthVader
09:11 Raj
09:08 Raj
09:07 Raj
08:53 Mercutio
08:23 Rambler in Virginia
08:22 M. Murcek
07:50 Dale
07:49  
07:38 NN2N1
07:27 Dale
07:21 Grom the Reflective
07:13 M. Murcek
07:10 Dale
07:07 Grom the Reflective
07:02 Frank G
06:57 Whiskey Mike
06:52 Whiskey Mike
06:51 MikeKozlowski
06:50 Ulailet+Thud3602
06:49 Whiskey Mike









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