Syria: Russia Blames Israel for the Downing of One of Its Surveillance Planes

During Israeli airstrikes on the Syrian coast on Sept. 17, a Russian IL-20 surveillance plane with 15 crew members on board was accidentally shot down by a Syrian surface-to-air missile battery that was responding to the attack. Russia, however, has blamed Israel for the incident, alleging that Israel provided Russia with only one minute of advanced warning before the attack and that the Israeli aircraft deliberately used the IL-20 as cover during their approach, thus making it vulnerable to Syrian air defense counterfire....