Russian plane shot down: Kremlin blames Israel after Syria inadvertently shoots down aircraft, killing 15

Russian forces have threatened to retaliate against Israel after a Russian aircraft was shot down by their Syrian allies - blaming western coalition bombers for provoking the friendly fire.

The Kremlin's defence ministry admitted Syria inadvertently shot down a Russian reconnaissance plane last night - but attributed the defensive move to Israeli and French presence in the area, saying they forced the plane to fly over dangerous territory.

And when quizzed on the inadvertent downing of the Russian spy plane, Vladamir Putin said in a press conference today "it looks like a chain of tragic and chance circumstances", and he would focus efforts to increase security for Russian troops stationed in Syria.

Reports that a Russian Il-20 aircraft "disappeared" during a strike in Latakia emerged last night from US defence sources, apparently shot out of the sky by the Assad regime's anti-aircraft artillery - said to be a Russian-made S-200 surface to air missile, which have been in use since 1967.

Reuters reports that Russian authorities have attributed the strike to Israeli and French forces, calling it a "deliberate provocation", but France has denied involvement.

Images have emerged on social media claiming to show the missile defence system firing last night, but have not been verified.

Russia's defence ministry confirmed this morning that one of its military aircraft with 15 people on board disappeared from radar screens over Syria, at the same time that Israeli and French forces mounted aerial attacks on targets in Latakia, a major port city on the Mediterranean coast of Syria.

The reconnaissance aircraft was reportedly making a return journey to the Russian-run Hmeymim airbase in Latakia province when, at about 11 P.M. Moscow time (20:00 GMT), it disappeared from radar screens.

A spokesman said Israel warned Russia about the planned operation only one minute beforehand, adding that it was not enough time to get the Russian military plane to safety.

Syrian state media reported that around the time the plane disappeared, Latakia came under fire from "enemy missiles", and defence batteries responded.

Russia has now threatened retaliation, claiming it has the "right to take appropriate measures" after Israel's "hostile" actions, a spokesman added, branding the move "irresponsible".

"As a result of the irresponsible actions of the Israeli military, 15 Russian service personnel perished. This absolutely does not correspond to the spirit of Russian-Israeli partnership," Major General Igor Konashenkov reportedly told the Interfax news agency:

"We reserve the right to take commensurate measures in response."

The Russian Ilyushin Il-20 is a military passenger aircraft with electronic equipment an an array of external antennae used as flying command post.

A video emerged on Youtube yesterday claiming to depict the destruction of the plane in Lattikia -as the Syrian opposition news site Nedaa-sy reported five rockets hit Assad regime sites in various locations, including the industrial area and and ammunition depots in Ain Al-Sharqiyah of Jabla, and the Khirbet al-Tin area in western Homs.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Robertson unequivocally denied any involvement in the strikes last night, which reportedly hit an industrial facility in Lattakia. “I can say clearly that this was not done by us,” he told Voice of America news.

After previously amicable diplomatic relations between Benjimin Netenhahu and Vladimir Putin, Tel Aviv warned the Kremlin in April that it would attack their S-300 air defence systems at the Tartus naval base, just south of Lattikia if the system was used against Israeli jets.

According to Syrian media, there were three air strikes attributed to Israel last night, fired towards military targets close to three large cities in the north of Syria: Lattakia, Homs and Hama. Reportedly 10 people were injured, eight of whom were taken to hospital but later discharged.

One report in RT claimed that four Israeli F-16 fighter jets "used the II-20 as cover" to attack coastal targets, and together with the French Navy frigate ‘Auvergne,’ where creating "dangerous conditions" in the area.

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A statement from the Russian defence ministry said: “The Israeli pilots used the Russian plane as cover and set it up to be targeted by the Syrian air defence forces. As a consequence, the Il-20, which has radar cross-section much larger than the F-16, was shot down by an S-200 system missile."

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) made an unexpected response to the news, stating: "Israel expresses sorrow for the deaths of the aircrew members of the Russian plane that was downed due to Syrian anti-aircraft fire. Israel holds the Assad regime, whose military shot down the Russian plane, fully responsible for this incident."

Vladimir Putin and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu are said to be discussing the incident today according to an Israeli diplomatic source

The Israeli military said in a previous statement that its fighter jets had "targeted" a Syrian facility that it said was about to transfer weapons to Hezbollah on behalf of Iran, but that when the Russian plane was downed the Israeli jets "were already within Israeli airspace."

The news follows progress towards peace in northern Syria, after Russia and Turkey announced yesterday they had agreed to establish a demilitarised zone at Idlib, giving an ultimatum for rebel forces to leave the area within a month instead of going ahead with a planned offensive.

Putin had been preparing an offensive on the rebel-controlled city but has climbed down from earlier plans at the request of the ​Erdogan, according to Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu.

Putin said at a shared press conference with Turkey's president, Tayyep Erdogan: "By Oct. 10, at the suggestion of the Turkish president, (we agreed) on the withdrawal from that zone of the heavy weapons, tanks, rockets systems and mortars of all opposition groups."

Neither Putin not Erdogan explained how they planned to differentiate "radically-minded" rebels from other anti-Assad groups.

Idlib is held by an array of rebel groups, including Tahrir al-Sham, an amalgamation of Islamist groups dominated by the former Nusra Front - an al Qaeda affiliate until 2016.

Turkey has given backing o a coalition of groups under the Free Syrian Army banner, now known as the National Front for Liberation.

"With this agreement we have precluded experiencing a large humanitarian crisis in Idlib," Erdogan said at the news conference with Putin.

The move to protect Idlib from an imminent humanitarian disaster followed the release of a UN inquiry on Wednesday, which blamed warring parties for "indiscriminate and deliberate attacks" that were displacing people by their millions., and said Syrian-backed militias had used banned chemical weapons in 30 separate attacks.

A spokesman for France's ministry of defence told the Standard: "The French armed forces deny any implication in this event"