Russian President pulls back threat of reprisal in chat with Israel’s Netanyahu
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Russia Maintains Disinfo Over “False Flag” Chemical Attack in Idlib
President Vladimir Putin has backed away from Russia’s criticism of Israel over the Assad regime’s downing of a Russian surveillance plane, killing 14 personnel — but has told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to ensure it does not happen again.
The Russian Il-20 plane crashed in the Mediterranean about 27 km (17 miles) west of the Syrian coastal city of Baniyas, soon after Israeli F-16 fighters fired missiles on Assad regime targets in Latakia and Tartous Provinces.
Israel Hits Western Syria — Russian Plane Downed by Assad Regime Forces
The Russian Defense Ministry initially put out a series of false claims over the incident. It tied the downing not only to the Israeli attacks but also — wrongly — firing from a French warship, while the Assad regime asserted — wrongly — that US and UK warplanes had also struck targets which included a complex linked to the regime’s production of missiles and chemical weapons.
Finally, Moscow settled on the line that Israel was to blame because its F-16s supposedly used the Il-20 for cover, putting the Russian plane at risk.
But the Israel Defense Forces explained that their attacking jets had already left the area and had returned to Israeli airspace when the Assad regime’s military fired Russian-made SS-20 missiles, one of which hit the Il-20.
In a more substantial challenge, Russia said Israel had erred by only giving a minute’s notice of its attacks, breaking a “de-confliction arrangement” established between the two countries in September 2015 — just before Moscow’s military intervention propping up the Assad regime.
“Don’t Allow This in Future”
But Putin did not press the criticism in his conversation with Netanyahu, calling the incident a “chain of tragic accidental circumstances”. He retracted the warning in the Defense Ministry’s statement, which he had approved, warning of reprisals.
Instead, the Russian leader urged his Israeli counterpart “not to allow such situations in the future”.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu focused on the wider relationship between the two countries and the need to maintain it in the Syrian conflict, citing “the importance of the continued security coordination between Israel and Syria that has managed to prevent many casualties on both sides in the last three years”.
He also took the opportunity to press his demand for the withdrawal from Syria of all Iranian and Iranian-led forces.
Iran, alongside Russia, has been the essential ally of the Assad regime, organizing a 50,000-strong regime militia accompanied by thousands of Iranian-led fighters from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq as well as specialist Iranian units.
Israel has stepped up its missile strikes in the past year to support the pressure for Iranian withdrawal.
#Syria: sat imagery reveals a Factory E. of #Latakia-city was destroyed by #Israel 2 days ago. Building (modernized end-2014) was suspected to hide advanced weaponry for Hezbollah. https://t.co/3YXXIontGB pic.twitter.com/A10SQec3bf
— Qalaat Al Mudiq (@QalaatAlMudiq) September 19, 2018
Iran More Critical
The Iranian regime took a harder line than Putin over the incident, refusing to mute criticism of Israel.
Iranian State outlet Press TV ignores the conciliatory aspects of Putin’s statement and headlines, “Israeli Aerial Operations in Violation of Syria’s Sovereignty“.
Before the news of the Putin-Netanyahu conversation, Tehran University academic Seyed Mohammad Marandi, a leading English-language spokesman for the regime, condemned the Israelis in an interview with Russia’s RT:
1st Syrian Children in Russia for Military Education
Russia has admitted the first group of Syrian children for military education.
Eight boys began studies in Russian military schools, after orientation in St. Petersburg, on September 1.
In mid-July, the Kremlin decreed that Syrian children can study for free if they have sufficient knowledge of Russian and pass preliminary exams.
A new military agreement between #Syria and #Russia allows Syrian children to gain free military training in Russia. The first group of Syrian children have arrived at St. Petersburg last month, and are expected to start training in September pic.twitter.com/x7Xe4CIGC2
— Syrian Portal (@syrianportal) September 18, 2018
Regime Detains Kurdish Journalist
The Assad regime’s forces have detained Kurdish journalist Omar Kalo, an anchor at the Rudaw Media Network.
Kalo was seized with his two children and wife at a military intelligence checkpoint between Manbij and Aleppo on August 25, as he travelled from his hometown Kobane to renew his passport.
The journalist’s family were released and military intelligence said he would be freed after he was asked some questions; however, Kalo is still held in Aleppo. His relatives say he will be transferred to the Military Security’s Palestine Branch in Damascus.
Kalo graduated from the the journalism school at the University of Damascus and worked in Kobane before joining Rudaw.
” that US and UK warplanes had also struck targets which included a complex linked to the regime’s production of missiles and chemical weapons”
.
Ah, ha!
.
So, it was a strike on chemical weapons. Just like I was suggesting on the 10/9/2018.
.
“A token retaliatory strike is like half closing the stable door after the horse has bolted. What is needed is a pre-emptive strike that does real damage!”
Except that the assertion the complex is linked to the regime’s production of missiles and chemical weapons was not made by the Russians.
“But the Israel Defense Forces explained that their attacking jets had already left the area and had returned to Israeli airspace when the Assad regime’s military fired Russian-made SS-20 missiles, one of which hit the Il-20.”
This is probably false. If the Israelis had only given the Russians one minute warning of the impending attack, then they could not possibly have returned to Israeli airspace before the Il-20 was hit.
It will be interesting to see if in spite of the public de-escalation by Putin, Russia takes measures on the ground that make will make it harder for Israel to carry out such attacks in future.
None. They bow to Israel. As always.
Dragan,
The scenario is more likely that the Israelis informed the Russians just before the attack, cleared the area, and that the Russians — either because they were monitoring with the surveillance plane or because they could not recall it in time — were still there.
S.
You are probably right Scott,
There is no way the Israelis were able to fire off their ordnance and return to Israeli air space in one minute. That would suggest the 1 minute claim is likely Incorrect, though the Israelis don’t appear to be challenging the claim.
It should be safe for friends to fly over friendly territories, using IFF systems. It is not Israel’s fault that the Russian-Syrian systems did not work properly
Work properly? Did you know that the majority of injuries from rocket attacks from Gaza during the 2014 conflict was cause by debris of detonated Iron Dome missiles falling on the Israeli population?