Will Russia-Israel ties suffer after downing of Il-20 military plane off Syrian coast?
Will Russia-Israel ties suffer after downing of Il-20 military plane off Syrian coast?
Moscow and Tel Aviv had long enjoyed fairly good ties despite the ongoing turmoil in the Middle East, but they are now at risk as Russia blames Israel for the downing its warplane off Syrian coast and the crew's death.
The Middle East historically remained a place of bitter rivalries. Tension grew increasingly high after the Arab Spring brought more havoc to an already complex region, riddled with colliding interests and clashing ambitious of various actors, large and small. Nevertheless, Russia and Israel had always managed to keep good relations.
This year alone President Vladimir Putin met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu three times, and every time the media didn’t get much details from closed-door discussions. Through delicate behind-the-scenes diplomacy Moscow maintained a close, working relations with Israel. The fact that it’s one of US closest allies was never an issue for Moscow. Russia itself kept developing ties with Turkey and Iran, Israel’s arch-nemesis, while managing to address Israel’s concerns too.
For Russia, Israel is not only an important, geopolitical partner with alleged nuclear capabilities, situated in the heart of the world’s most turbulent region. It’s also home of about 1.3 million expats from post-Soviet countries. This large diaspora plays a significant role for Russia when it tailors its approach to Tel Aviv.
Related: The Russian-“Israeli” “Crisis”: Climb-Down In Progress?
Even the war in Syria, where Israel - in hopes of curbing Iranian influence - supported and armed controversial anti-government militants, didn’t result in a serious crisis in relations with Russia.
Over the course of the conflict, the IDF had conducted numerous airstrikes against targets in Syria and even launched missiles at Syrian jets. Each attack was strongly condemned by both Syria and Russia who had been pointing out that any military incursion into the country without the government’s and UN’s approval is illegal.
Related: https://www.rt.com/news/438686-syria-russia-s200-il20/
But
the raid on Latakia and the collateral damage in a form of a downed
Russian military plane can inflict grave damage on the relations between
the states. Israel stands firmly against the strengthening of the
Turkish or Iranian grip in the region, so its recent actions may be an
attempt to remind everyone that the Syrian crisis has other stakeholders
involved. Especially, since just the day before the tragic incident
with the Russia plane Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep
Tayyp Erdogan reached a settlement on the situation around Idlib, the last militant stronghold beyond the control of the Syrian government.
Source: https://www.rt.com/news/438704-russia-israel-conflict-plane/
Source: https://www.rt.com/news/438704-russia-israel-conflict-plane/
‘You are to blame for downing of Il-20 and death of its crew,’ Russia tells Israel
‘You are to blame for downing of Il-20 and death of its crew,’ Russia tells Israel
Russia has formally complained to Israel about its air raid on
Monday, which led to the downing of a Russian Il-20 plane off the Syrian
coast. Moscow has laid the blame for the crew’s deaths “squarely on the
Israeli side.”
Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu spoke to his Israeli counterpart Avigdor Lieberman on the phone about the downing of the Russian Il-20 plane on Monday night. He relayed Moscow’s position on the incident, blaming the Israeli military for setting up the Russian plane to be shot down by Syrian air defenses, which were responding to an Israeli air raid, an official statement from the Russian military said.
Shoigu reiterated that Israel failed to notify Russia of the impending attack in a way that would have given its military an opportunity to move the Il-20 out of harm’s way. Instead, the warning came just one minute before the Israeli F-16 fighter jets launched their attack.
“The blame for the downing of the Russian plane and the deaths of its crew members lies squarely on the Israeli side,” the Minister Shoigu said. “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 said the Israeli jets had used the bigger Russian plane as cover during their attack on targets in Syria. The ministry said the Israelis must have known that they were putting the Russian plane at risk, but neither changed their battle plan nor gave a warning in time for the Il-20 to be moved to a safe area.
The Israeli government has yet to publicly comment on the incident.
Source: https://www.rt.com/news/438690-russia-israel-il20-blame/
Liberteon