Russia: We have proof IDF ‘distorts’ facts,’ responsible for downed plane

Russia’s defense ministry says it has evidence that the IDF report on the fatal Russian plane crash “distorts” the facts surrounding the incident and that Israel is to blame.

The Russian news agency TASS says it has data proving the Israel Air Force’s responsibility for the downing of a Russian plane last week that killed 15 servicemen.

Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said on Monday that the ministry “took notice of certain comments seeking to distort the picture of the incident and thoroughly scrutinized the IDF statement,” TASS reported, referring to the Israeli military’s insistence that the Israeli fighter jets had already left Syria at the time of the incident.

“Today, we will give additional data available to the Russian defense ministry to track the Israeli planes and the S-200 system’s missile literally second-by-second. These data were taken from the radars of the command and control post of the S-400 missile system deployed at the Hmeymim airbase,” Konashenkov said.

New York Times journalist Ivan Nechepurenko, in an interview with i24 News, pointed out that Moscow is “very reluctant to admit that its own missile, a Russian-made missile…basically shot their own plane.”

Boarding a plane from Tel Aviv to New York Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel will continue its operations in Syria against Iranian bases in the country as well as maintaining the IDF’s security coordination with the Russian military.